The Road Home
by LoveIsAllYouNeed828
Summary: PAIRE  AU, My version of Season One. T, with some chapters rated M. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: _**

**_So, this is my first Heroes fic. I'm a huge fan of the show, and hope I do it justice with this story.  
I started writing this before the big bio-dad reveal, so PLEASE! no reviews about how "it's so sick that people want Peter and Claire to be together". _**

**_I've just about completed this story, so updates should come quickly, depending on reviews.  
Another thing, this story has been through many revisions, and plenty of plot changes, so if it sucks, let me know, and maybe I'll revise it...again._**

**_Final thing; Heroes and all related characters are property of Tim Kring and NBC. _**

**_Though I SOOOOO wish I owned Milo..._**

* * *

Peter unlocked the door to his loft, and motioned for Claire to precede him.

He closed and locked the door behind them, tossing his keys on a table nearby.

When he turned, Claire was standing a few feet away, looking extremely awkward.

He smacked his forehead. "I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot. Please, sit down. Relax. Me casa is su casa."

She smiled and plopped down on the couch.

Peter walked into another room, and emerged again a moment later. "I put your bags in my room; you can have the bed tonight. I'll clear some space in my closet for your clothes tomorrow."

She smiled. "Thanks Peter. Really, I don't know how to thank you."

He shook his head, giving her that crooked smile of his. "Claire, I know I'm meant to protect you. Hell, this makes my job _easier._"

She smiled as he dropped onto the couch beside her. She stood and crossed to one of the huge windows looking out over New York City.

Peter watched her. _God, she is so gorgeous. _He watched her tuck a strand of her wavy blond hair behind her ear. _I wonder how soft her hair is. What is smells like. I… JESUS! What the HELL am I thinking?! She's 17. Maybe this whole 'Come live with me so I can protect you' thing wasn't the best idea I've ever had._

Claire looked at Peter's reflection in the window. _Wow. I don't remember him being so hot. That might have something to do with the fact that the last time I saw him he was in jail, blood-soaked, and sleep-deprived…_

Peter cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to the here-and-now. "So, it's been a while since I was in high school. What do you like to do for fun?"

She shrugged. "Shop, listen to music, watch movies, have sex…"

Peter's jaw dropped.

She threw her head back and laughed. "Oh God, you should see your face. I'm only kidding, Peter."

He looked relieved, and smiled. "Very funny. Let's give Peter a heart attack, huh?"

She nodded.

He shook his head. "Well listen, I don't have food here, how do you feel about going out for some dinner. Pizza okay?"

She nodded vigorously. "I'm starving!"

* * *

Peter shook his head. "I can't believe how much you eat. How does such a tiny person eat 3 slices of pizza _and _a hot fudge sundae?" 

Claire grinned. "I burn it off at cheerleading practice."

He laughed, and then his smile faded a bit. Three not-quite-friends of his had just walked in, and he was sure they'd spotted him. The guys were asses, and he knew they would make a big deal over Claire. He downed the last of his coffee, and stood up.

"Ready to go?"

Claire pouted. "But I haven't finished my sundae yet!"

The guys were already at the table, it was too late now.

"Petey! Who've we got here?" They hooted and pointed to Claire.

She swallowed, increasingly uncomfortable.

"Where've you been hiding this one Peter? Isn't she a little out of your league?"

The guy who had just spoken put his hand on her shoulder, and Peter saw a look of absolute fear and panic spread across her face.

_Something's wrong…_

Peter grabbed Claire's hand, and she stood up. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Come on. Let's get out of here." He whispered in her ear.

As they stepped into the chilly New York City air, Peter felt Claire's shoulders shaking, and looked down at her. Tears were rolling slowly down her cheeks.

"Claire? What's wrong? Forget those guys, they're jerks."

She shook her head. "It's not that… He…He touched my shoulder, and I had flashbacks."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "Flashbacks?"

She nodded, not looking at him. "From…" She sighed, shaking her head. "Can we not talk about this here?"

He nodded. "Yeah, uh… Hang on."

He stepped into the street and hailed a cab. They climbed in, and rode back to the loft in silence.

Once inside, Claire sat down on the couch, and Peter followed suit.

Claire took a deep breath.

"Maybe a week or so before homecoming, I was at this bonfire with a bunch of kids from school. I had a bad feeling about it from the beginning, but this guy I liked… Well, he invited me. When I got there, it was already really out of hand. Tons of alcohol, people setting things on fire… The first thing the guy did was hand me a beer. I didn't drink it, I hate the taste. About an hour later, he asked me if we could go someplace else. He took me over to the bleachers, started kissing me. I didn't mind. I mean, I _really _liked this guy. But then he started putting his hands everywhere, and I told him to stop. He wouldn't. He kept trying to put his hands up my skirt… I was scared. I tried to run, but he grabbed me and threw me on the ground. He climbed on top of me. Started unzipping his pants. I freaked out. I started screaming, but no one could hear me."

A fresh batch of tears started rolling down her cheeks, and Peter swallowed, hard. He clasped her hands. "He… He raped you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I tried to run again, and he pushed me. I lost my balance, and fell. A tree limb went through my skull. It killed me, Peter. I woke up at the morgue, completely cut open. I had to shove my organs back in…"

Peter's mouth fell open. "Oh my God…"

She nodded. "I just… When that guy touched me back at the restaurant, all those memories came flooding back and it…"

Peter pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Oh God, Claire… I'm so sorry."

She buried her face in his chest, sobs wracking her body.

His jaw tightened. "Who was it? The guy who hurt you, who was it?"

Claire shook her head. "Brody. The quarterback. But it's okay, I got my revenge."

Peter's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

She sat up, wiping her face. "I pretended I didn't remember what had happened, and I told him I needed a ride home. I asked if I could drive. I crashed the car into a brick wall."

Peter swallowed. "You killed him?"

She shook her head. "No. He survived. But needless to say, he didn't play in the homecoming game."

Peter pulled her into his arms again, holding her close.

They sat like that for a long time, until Claire fell asleep. He smiled down at the sleeping girl, and then lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom.

He placed her on the bed, pulled the covers up over her, and then looked at her. "I promise, I will _ALWAYS _protect you. You're safe with me, Claire." He whispered.

He switched off the light.

Peter spread an extra blanket and pillow over the couch, lying down.

He closed his eyes, but sleep would not come.

Images of Claire flashed through his head. Her tear-streaked face would be forever etched into his memory.

Rolling over, he closed his eyes tighter and murmured a prayer that he would be able to keep his promise to always protect Claire from everything.


	2. Chapter 2

Claire awoke to sunlight streaming through the windows.

She opened her eyes and looked around.

_Where… Oh, I'm in Peter's bed._

She smiled at the thought of being in Peter's loft, in his bed.

She thought back to the night before. The way he had held her, letting her cry.

_He really seems to care._

She sighed. _But I'm not the kind of girl Peter would ever look at like that. He probably thinks of me as a little sister or something._

She sat up. _I wonder if Peter's awake yet. If he's not, I can probably take a shower..._

Claire had discovered that Peter's loft had some… quirks. A bathroom door that didn't lock was among them.

She tip-toed into the living room, and sure enough, Peter was still sleeping soundly on the sofa.

She gathered clean clothes, shampoo, and her razor and headed into the bathroom.

She undressed and turned on the shower, stepping in and letting the hot water wash over her.

She showered quickly, wanting to save some hot water for Peter, dried off, and stood in front of the mirror, brushing her hair.

Claire looked at her reflection in the mirror with a sigh. _Nothing special here. No wonder Peter doesn't notice me..._

Looking around, she spotted a dirty clothes hamper and dropped her clothes in.

As she emerged from the bathroom, Peter was nowhere to be seen, and for a moment, she panicked.

Then she spotted a piece of paper on the kitchen counter.

_**Claire,**_

_**Went to get groceries.**_

_**I'll be back soon, but I have my cell if you need me.**_

_**-Peter**_

She breathed a sigh of relief, and flopped down on the couch.

She folded the blanket Peter had used the night before, and sat his pillow on top of it.

She looked around the loft with a smile. _Typical bachelor pad._

White walls, large bookshelves, a TV with a Playstation™ hooked up to it…

As her eyes fell on the door to the bedroom, she smiled. _Now's the perfect time to do a little snooping…_

She walked into the bedroom and looked around.

Her bags sat on the floor at the foot of the bed. There was a dresser, a large closet, and a desk stood off to the side with books stacked on it.

She picked one of them up, and her eyebrows furrowed. _This is a nursing textbook. Why would Peter have…_

"Claire?"

She dropped the book and whirled around to see Peter standing in the doorway.

She put her hand to her chest. "God, Peter! You scared the hell out of me!"

He smiled, walking towards her. "I'm sorry."

He bent down to pick up the book she'd dropped. He held it up with a smirk. "An interesting read?"

She flushed. "I'm sorry, Peter. I didn't mean to snoop." _Well THAT'S a lie…_

He smiled. "It's okay. I guess you've discovered my secret."

Claire swallowed. "Se…Secret?"

Peter nodded. "I'm a hospice nurse."

Claire smiled, relief washing over her face. "Really? That's so cool!"

He smiled, placing the book back on the desk. "Thanks. I got stuff for breakfast, want to help me make it?"

She grinned. "Sure!"

* * *

Peter watched Claire as she stood at the stove cooking the eggs. 

She wore a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt that didn't quite cover her stomach.

Every time she moved, her perfectly flat stomach was visible. Her wavy blonde hair fell loosely down her back.

She looked beautiful.

_God, does she know what that shirt is DOING to me? Of course she doesn't. She thinks of me like a big brother or something. She doesn't think I'm envisioning myself throwing her against the wall and ripping her shirt off. Jesus, Peter. Maybe that cop back in Texas was right to question whether or not you were a pedophile. She's 17!_

Just then, Claire turned to him, a smile on her face. "All done!"

He returned her smile.

He poured them each a glass of orange juice, and they sat down.

As they ate, Claire asked him more about his job.

"So what exactly is a hospice nurse?"

Peter swallowed a bite of food and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I basically take care of terminally ill patients. They get the care they need, but the dignity of being in their own home."

Claire smiled. "That's so cool."

She looked down at her plate. "I wish something I did had an impact on the world. I mean, you're a hospice nurse, and you threw yourself off a building for me. Even if you never do another heroic thing in your life, you're set."

Peter shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

Claire reached her hand out and clasped one of his. "Peter! You freaking _threw yourself off a building to save me! _I'd say that's a big deal. You're a hero, but me? I'm nothing special."

He looked up at her. "I didn't have to think about tackling that guy off the building. I knew I had to save you. Besides, even having known you for only about a week now, I can tell you're something special."

She blushed a little, and he grinned.

Claire looked down at their hands which were still clasped. She moved her hand quickly, and picked up her fork again. Peter smiled.

* * *

Peter shoved some t-shirts into a drawer. Standing up, he looked at the closet. 

"Do you think that'll be enough room?"

Claire sighed and rolled her eyes. "Peter, it was enough room four t-shirts and 3 pairs of pants ago. I told you I don't have that many clothes."

Peter chuckled. "I just want you to have all the room you need."

She smiled. "Thanks."

She picked up a hanger and put a shirt on it. She walked over to the closet and hung it up. She pulled the rest of her clothes out of her first duffle bag and tossed them on the bed.

Peter held out a hand. "Here, let me help."

She nodded, handing him a shirt and a hanger.

Peter studied her wardrobe as they worked. It was what he imagined a teenage girl's closet would contain. Lots of jeans and t-shirts, a jacket or two, and a couple of miniskirts.

He got to the bottom of the pile and he raised an eyebrow. "You actually wear these?"

Claire looked up to see a lacey black silk tank top and matching shorts dangling from his fingers. She nodded. "They're pajamas."

He laughed. "Wow, pajamas have changed a lot. These used to be considered lingerie."

Claire blushed. "Give me those."

She hung them on a hanger and went to hang them up in the closet.

Peter reached for her second bag, but a sudden shriek stopped him.

Claire rushed over and grabbed the bag, clutching it to her. "I've got this one, thanks."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Why? What's in it?"

Claire shook her head. "Nothing. It's fine. I'll unpack it. You can go now."

Peter shook his head. "Oh no. Now I HAVE to look!"

Claire backed away from him. She dropped the bag on the bed and sat on it. "HA! Can't look now!"

Peter grinned. "What're you kidding? Claire, I hate to break it to you but you weigh like fifty pounds."

She crossed her arms. "Try it, Buster."

He walked over, lifted her off the bag, and tossed her lightly onto the bed. He grabbed the bag and retreated to the corner.

"Peter, no. Come on, please? Don't look!"

He grinned and unzipped the bag. He looked inside and then laughed so hard his sides hurt. Claire was crimson.

"Claire, I know what women's underwear looks like."

She blushed even harder.

He walked over to where she was sitting on the edge of the bed, and crouched down in front of her. "Claire, you're a girl. I get it. You wear a bra, you're going to need tampons. I _get_ that. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, okay?"

She nodded, wrenching the bag from his hands. "Thanks for your help, I think _I'll _unpack this one."

Her face was still red and he grinned. "You blush a lot, you know that? It's cute."

He swallowed after he said it, expecting her to recoil at him saying such a thing to her.

But she just smiled and blushed a little harder. He stood up and left the room, a smile on his face.

* * *

Peter flopped on the couch. _She's adorable. I can't believe how embarrassed she was by me seeing her underwear. But with the thoughts I've been having lately, maybe seeing her underwear wasn't the greatest idea. _

He sighed and shook his head.

* * *

When Claire emerged a short time later, Peter was making dinner. The smell of spaghetti reminded her that she was hungry. 

Peter smiled at her as she entered the kitchen. "Did you get everything put away?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

He turned back to the stove. "Do me a favor? Get the garlic bread out of the oven."

She smiled. "Sure." She opened the oven door, taking out the pan with her bare hands

. Peter whirled around at the smell of burning flesh and gasped at the sight of Claire holding the hot pan with her bare hands. "CLAIRE!"

He grabbed an oven mitt and took it from her. He sat it on the counter, and turned back to Claire. "Are you…"

As he spoke, he watched the burns begin to heal. He grasped her hands and shook his head. "Good God, Claire. Please don't scare me like that." He brushed his fingers over the skin that had just healed.

She smiled faintly. "Sorry. I forget."

He returned her smile, and let out a sigh.

Realizing that he was still holding her hands, he dropped them quickly, and pulled some plates out for their dinner.

As he served the spaghetti, Claire watched him.

Her hands were still tingling, not from the burns, but from Peter's touch. _Every time he touches me it feels like an electric shock ripping through me._

Peter held up their full plates and smiled. "Dinner is served, my lady."

He said it with a ridiculous Italian accent, and Claire burst out laughing.

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, so I gave you two chapters to begin the story. Review, give me your HONEST opinions, and MAYBE I'll update again tomorrow... Another thing, before anyone asks about the rating, this story is rated T for now. Some later chapters get a little...erm...racey... For those chapters, the rating will be changed to M, but I will inform the readers with HUGE BLOCK LETTERING at the beginning of the chapter if the rating has changed. As I said in the summary, the story(and hopefully my writing) got better as the story went along. So, anyway, REVIEW! **_


	3. Chapter 3

****

**_This chapter, Simone and Nathan will make an appearance! oOo! Intrigue!_**

* * *

Claire sighed. 

They'd finished dinner and done the dishes a few hours ago, and now she was bored.

Peter was absorbed in a book, and not paying her a whole lot of attention.

Looking around the room, her eyes fell on the stack of DVDs next to the television. _I'll watch a movie in my pajamas. Yeah, that's a good idea. Pajamas, some chocolate ice cream…_

She padded into the bedroom, and tugged on the black pajamas Peter had referred to as lingerie earlier. She went to the kitchen and grabbed the ice cream and a spoon.

"Hey Peter? Will it disturb you if I watch a movie?" He shook his head, glancing up from his book. "No, it won't both…"

His words died on his lips at the sight of Claire in her pajamas. He swallowed, hard.

Claire raised an eyebrow. "Peter? What's wrong?"

He cleared his throat and looked back down at his book. "Uh, nothing. No, it won't disturb me if you watch a movie."

She smiled. "Thanks."

As she popped the DVD into the player, she bit her lip. _I saw the look on his face when he saw my pajamas. He definitely wasn't looking at me like a little girl. _

She sat down on the couch, scooting a little closer to Peter.

After a few minutes, Peter sighed and laid aside his book. "Fine, you win."

She pretended not to hear him. "What?"

He scooted even closer to her on the couch. "You going to let me have any ice cream or are you going to eat it all yourself?"

She grinned and handed him the spoon.

* * *

They watched the movie in silence, except for the occasional laugh at a funny part. But when it came to the love scene, Peter grew uncomfortable. 

He glanced at Claire out of the corner of his eye, but she didn't look uncomfortable at all.

He gritted his teeth. His body was starting to react not only to the movie, but to how close he and Claire were sitting. He stood up, and Claire paused the movie.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head, feigning a yawn. "Nothing, I'm just really tired."

Claire frowned. "I wanted to watch the end of this… Hey, why don't you take the bed tonight, and I'll sleep on the sofa?"

Peter looked unsure. "Claire, you're the guest. You should…"

She held up her hands. "Don't argue. I'm fine with the couch."

He nodded. "Okay. Sweet dreams, Claire."

She smiled and unpaused the movie.

* * *

Peter opened his eyes, sitting up and stretching. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. He felt good. 

The crick he had gotten in his neck from sleeping on the couch was gone.

He walked into the living room and saw that Claire was still asleep. She looked adorable, her eyes closed, lips slightly parted. Her blonde curls framed her face, and Peter smiled. _She looks like an angel. Wow, that sounds corny._

He shook his head.

He made his way to the bathroom and showered. When he emerged, Claire was just waking up.

She yawned and stretched, smiling when she saw Peter. "Good morning."

He smiled. "How'd you sleep?"

Her smile faded a bit. "Not so great. I kept getting freaked out by every little noise."

Peter sighed. "You could have come and gotten me if you were scared. That's it, though. You're sleeping in the bed from now on."

She grinned. "If you say so. So, what're we doing today?"

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Nothing."

She pouted. "Nothing? We can't go anywhere?"

He smirked. "Depends on what you had in mind, Claire."

She tapped a finger to her lips, as if thinking. "We could go to the mall, or see a movie…"

Peter nodded. "We could do both."

Her face lit up. "Yay!"

He smiled, and then looked her up and down. "You're wearing _that_?"

She blushed a little.

He smiled. "Why don't you go hop in the shower, I'll make us some breakfast."

She grinned. "Okay!"

* * *

Peter poured the last of the pancake batter into the pan, trying desperately to not think about the fact that Claire was naked in the shower in the next room. 

As he placed the pancakes on two plates, there was a knock on the door.

Peter swallowed, and picked up a kitchen knife. He walked to the door, and looked through the peephole, sighing at the sight of Simone.

He tossed the kitchen knife aside, and opened the door.

"Good morning Peter." She kissed him sweetly, but he didn't respond.

It seemed wrong to be kissing Simone when all he had been thinking about the last few days was Claire.

He closed the door as Simone entered the loft.

She walked into the kitchen, and gestured towards the two plates of pancakes on the table. "I'm sorry, were you expecting someone?"

Before he could answer, he heard a noise behind him and turned to see Claire standing in the doorway. She was dressed only in a towel, her wet hair hanging down her back.

"Peter? I heard someone at the door…" Her voice was small, scared.

He smiled. "It's okay."

She still looked unsure, and he went over and wrapped an arm around Claire's shoulders, steering her into the kitchen a little further.

"Claire, this is Simone Devaux. Simone, this is Claire Bennet."

Simone looked at the beautiful blonde girl in front of her. The beautiful blonde girl in a towel, with Peter's arm around her. Suddenly, she was furious, and it showed on her face.

Peter swallowed and turned to Claire. "Hey, why don't you go get dressed, I need to talk to Simone."

Claire nodded, smiling up at him. "Okay."

As she closed the bathroom door, Peter turned back to Simone. "Simone, let me explain…"

She threw up her hands. "No. I get it. I don't see you for two weeks, and then I stop by and there's some gorgeous blonde in a towel in your apartment."

Peter grabbed her hand, but she yanked it away. "Simone, you don't understand. She's the cheerleader. The one from Isaac's paintings, the one I had to save."

Simone's jaw dropped. "She… Why… What's she doing here?"

Peter sat down on the sofa, running a hand through his hair. "Her father tried to erase her memories. I needed to protect her, and having her with me here in New York made it a lot easier."

Simone sank into a chair across from him. "Peter, that's _kidnapping. _Do you realize that the police are probably looking for her right this second? It won't take them long to realize she left with you, especially since you bought one plane ticket _to _Texas, and bought two _leaving _Texas."

Peter shook his head. "Simone, I didn't kidnap her. She came willingly. I can't explain it, but I know I need to protect her. I don't expect you to understand…"

Simone nodded. "Did you talk to Nathan? Surely he could hire security for her back in Texas. Or if Texas wasn't safe, he could arrange for her to stay somewhere safe here in New York."

Peter shook his head vehemently. "No. I'm not getting Nathan involved in this. All he would see is what this could do to his precious campaign."

Simone laughed bitterly. "Well maybe he would be right, Peter. You have a teenage girl living in your loft."

Peter shook his head. "I don't expect you to understand, Simone. But protecting this girl is something I _have _to do. It's not negotiable."

Simone sighed heavily, standing up. "You're right, Peter. I don't understand. But if you need any help, I'm here. I'm _always _here."

She kissed him gently, and he kissed her back.

He walked her to the door, closing and locking it behind her. He leaned against the door heavily, sighing.

_Well THAT was interesting. _

* * *

Over breakfast, Claire asked Peter about Simone. 

"So, how do you and Simone know eachother?"

Peter wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I took care of her father for a long time. He was a great guy. When I found out about my…abilities… I trained a replacement, and quit. Her Dad died a few weeks later."

Claire nodded. "That must have been horrible."

He nodded, and went back to his breakfast, but Claire wasn't finished with the Simone topic.

"So, you guys are just friends, or…"

Peter shrugged. "It's complicated. I don't really know anym… Wait, are you _jealous_?"

Claire lowered her eyes, her cheeks growing warm. "Of COURSE not."

Peter laughed. "Oh, Claire…"

But then his face grew serious. "Claire, you have nothing to be jealous about. You're my cheerleader."

She smiled, and her cheeks were once again reddening. "And you're my hero."

They sat there, smiling goofily at eachother for a few minutes, and then Peter cleared his throat. "So, we still going to the mall, or what?"

* * *

As they stepped out of the movie theater, Claire shivered. 

Peter put an arm around her. "Okay, wait a second. You're invincible, but you can get cold?"

She smiled up at him. "Well, just because I'm invincible doesn't mean I don't feel things."

Peter stopped, forcing her to stop with him. "What do you mean? You feel everything? Like when you burned your hands on the pan the other night?"

She nodded, turning to face him. "Yeah. You didn't feel it when you jumped of the building?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I thought that maybe that was because I was only absorbing your powers, they weren't actually mine."

Se shook her head. "No, I feel everything. The worst was at the morgue, when I was completely cut open. Trying to shove my organs back in was a bucket of laughs."

Peter winced. "I'm so sorry."

He brushed his hand against her cheek lightly, and she smiled up at him.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again, as they walked towards the subway.

* * *

The next morning, a loud pounding on the door awakened Peter. 

"Peter! Open the Goddamned door!"

Peter groaned.

_Nathan._

He opened the door to see his older brother looking furious. "Nathan, what's wrong?"

Nathan shoved a newspaper in his face. "THIS is what's wrong, Pete. You couldn't just keep your nose clean until after the election?"

Peter looked down at the paper that Nathan had thrust at him, and his heart dropped.

The headline read '**With Weeks Until the Election, Nathan Petrelli's Brother Seems To Have Found A Way To Bide His Time**'

The photo was of he and Claire from the day before, standing very close together, his hand brushing her cheek. His eyes scanned the story.

**The above photo was snapped at a downtown New York movie theater yesterday, where Peter Petrelli, brother of Nathan Petrelli, caught a movie with his new flame.**

**Witnesses say that Petrelli seemed very fond of the woman, his arm rarely leaving her shoulders.**

**The girl is described as being very pretty, blonde, lovely figure, and very young looking. **

**The pair was also spotted doing some window-shopping, and boarded the subway after their movie let out.**

**Nathan Petrelli's publicist could not be reached for comment about his brother's companion.**

Peter threw the paper down angrily, and Nathan banged his fist loudly into the wall. "Jesus, Peter. Who is she? She doesn't even look legal."

Peter sank heavily onto the couch. "She's not, in some states."

Nathan's mouth dropped open. "How old _is_ she?"

Peter swallowed. "17."

Nathan cursed, punching the wall again. "What the HELL are you doing with a 17 year old?"

Peter sighed heavily. "She's the cheerleader. The one I saved back in Texas."

Nathan laughed bitterly. "Oh, that'll be a great story for the press. 'They met when he threw himself off a building to save her, and didn't die because he has these magical powers. Then he brought her back to New York'? WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE PETER?"

Peter shook his head. "I had to protect her. Her Dad was trying to have her memory erased, and she came to me for help. Bringing her here seemed like the best way for me to be able to protect her."

Nathan smirked. "So you just didn't think about what repercussions it would have? What kind of effect it would have on my campaign? God, Peter."

Peter put his head in his hands.

"Peter?"

His head jerked up as Claire stepped into the room.

_Nathan's yelling must have woken her up._

He smiled slightly at her appearance. Her hair was tousled, and she wore a tank top and plaid pajama pants.

She wiped the sleep from her eyes, looking at Peter confusedly.

"Hey, Claire."

She looked at Nathan for a second, and a look of recognition passed over her face. "You're his brother. Nathan, right?"

Nathan nodded grimly. "Yeah, you must be the barely legal cheerleader my brother is sleeping with."

Claire's mouth dropped open. "WHAT? I'm not… We're… Peter?"

Peter stood up, and pulled Claire to him. "Nathan, it's not like that. We're friends, that's it. I mean, I've been sleeping on the sofa. She… We… It's NOT like that."

Nathan sighed. "Well that's a little better. Unfortunately, we can't tell the New York Examiner that she's only living here because you're trying to protect her from a father who's trying to erase her memory. We need to figure out something to say to the press, Peter."

Claire looked confused. "The press?"

Nathan handed her the paper and she gasped. "Oh my God… Peter, what if my Dad sees this?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, Claire."

Nathan sat down in a chair, watching them interact.

"What are we going to do?" She sounded on the verge of tears.

Peter hugged her to his body, his chin resting on the top of her head. "I don't know what we're going to do Claire. But I promise you that I'll keep you safe, okay? Nothing's going to happen to you."

She nodded, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Why don't you go wait in the bedroom, okay? I need to talk to Nathan."

She nodded, and he released her reluctantly.

She closed the bedroom door behind her, and Peter sank down onto the sofa again.

Nathan smiled slightly. "You like her."

Peter looked up. "Of course I like her, she's a sweet girl."

Nathan shook his head. "No, Peter. You really _like _her. I can see it in the way you act, the way you talk to her, everything. You're falling for this girl."

Peter shook his head. "No, I'm not. Cut it out, Nathan. We need to figure out what to do about the press."

Nathan smirked at his brother, knowing that he was trying to change the subject desperately. "The way I see it, you either say 'Yeah, she's my girl and we need our privacy', or you say 'She's an old friend, more like a little sister, and there's nothing going on'. Your choice."

Peter sighed. "I don't know, Nathan. I wish we could just not say anything."

Nathan shook his head. "You HAVE to say something, Peter. Otherwise, the press is going to go insane trying to get more shots of you two together. It's the way they operate."

Peter nodded. "Give me a day to think about it?"

Nathan nodded reluctantly. "Fine, but I need to know my tomorrow morning, okay?"

Peter nodded as Nathan stood to leave.

"It would help if you two didn't go anywhere, okay? Stay inside, unplug your phone."

Peter nodded. "Thanks, Nathan."

He closed the door, and sighed. He crossed to the bedroom door, and knocked.

"Claire?" He opened the door to see her sitting at the foot of the bed, head in hands.

He sat down next to her. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm just scared, you know? If my Dad sees this, it's only a matter of time before he finds us."

Peter nodded. "Yeah. It'll be okay, Claire. I'm here, I'm protecting you."

She nodded, smiling slightly.

He stood up, and walked to the door. "Come on, how about a game of Scrabble©?"

She smiled again, and nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

**_So, there you are. Chapter 3! REVIEW, damn it! Please?_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_So, even though I'd only gotten 3 reviews last time I checked, the ones I did get were really nice. On top of that, I feel bad that I won't be able to post again until Sunday, so here I am, posting another chapter. Leave me some nice reviews, and maybe I'll post TWO chapters on Sunday! _**

* * *

As Peter placed their dinner dishes in the dishwasher, he bit his lip.

Claire had been quiet all evening, and he didn't know why. She had a vacant look in her eyes, too. It was beginning to make him uneasy.

"Claire?"

She looked up. "Yeah Peter?"

He swallowed. "Is something wrong? You've been really quiet all night. You're not still worried about the newspaper thing, are you?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not that."

He went and sat next to her on the sofa. "Then what is it?"

She sighed. "It's stupid, I don't want to say."

He smiled a little, and clasped her hands. "Come on, it can't be that bad. Tell me."

She sighed. "Today was my birthday."

Peter's mouth fell open. "Claire! Why didn't you say something? We could have had a cake, or something."

She shook her head. "I didn't want you to make a big fuss. It reminded me of the birthdays at home, with my family. I'm sad thinking that I may never have another birthday celebration with them again."

Peter looked down. "I'm sorry, Claire."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I just… It's okay. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

Peter nodded, as she stood up. "Claire?"

She stopped in the doorway.

"Happy Birthday."

She smiled slightly and closed the door behind her.

Peter sighed, spreading a blanket over the sofa.

He turned out the lights, and laid down. _I wish I knew what to say to her._

He rubbed a hand over his face, and then a thought came to him. _She's eighteen. She's legal everywhere now._

He couldn't help but smile slightly. _Pervert. _

He rolled onto his side, closing his eyes.

* * *

Peter sat straight up, breathing heavily.

Something had awakened him, and he didn't know what.

He listened, and heard a series of loud scratching, banging noises at the front door.

He was off the couch in a second. He propped a chair up against the doorknob, hoping to buy himself a few minutes.

He glanced at the clock. _2 A.M._

He darted into the bedroom, closing the door, and turning the lock. He hurried over to the bed.

"Claire. Claire, come on wake up."

She stirred a little, and rolled over, but didn't wake up. He shook her gently. "Claire, come on."

She opened her eyes, and yawned. "Peter? Is it morning already?"

He put a finger to his lips. "Claire, I need you to listen very carefully. Someone is trying to get into the loft. We need to go."

Her eyes widened in fear, but she nodded.

He squeezed her hand lightly. "Get dressed. Put on something warm, and wear tennis shoes. We're going to need to run."

She nodded, already tugging her t-shirt over her head. Peter tried to avert his eyes as she undressed, but his eyes didn't want to obey him.

She was finished in a matter of seconds, and she took his hand again. "How are we going to get out of here?"

He was about to say that they needed to try to get out the front door somehow, when he heard the front door bang open.

He rushed to the window and threw it open. "Shit. We're 30 stories up, we're screwed."

Claire shook her head. Firmly clasping his hand, she pulled herself up onto the windowsill, and cautiously stepped out. She motioned for him to do the same.

As they stood side by side on the windowsill, Claire turned to face him. "Do you trust me Peter?"

His mouth dropped open. "What… Claire, what are…"

She shook her head. "DO YOU TRUST ME?"

He nodded. "With my life."

She swallowed. "Wrap your arms around me, as tight as you possibly can."

Peter slid his arms around her, pulling her to him in an almost crushing embrace. Then, she stepped off.

* * *

It felt like they had been falling for hours. Finally, they hit the ground with a sickening cracking of bones.

Peter laid there a moment, and then sat up slowly. "Oh, Jesus."

Bones were poking out of his skin everywhere. He shoved them back in, and then turned to Claire.

He helped her shove her bones back into place, and then stood, pulling her up with him.

As they stood, their eyes locked, and something passed between them. Complete trust and faith in the other person.

Peter was about to say something, when Claire gasped. He turned to see a figure hurrying through the lobby of Peter's building, and coming right at them.

"RUN!" Peter grabbed her hand, and they ran.

They ran for hours, not looking back.

Finally, Claire managed to gasp out. "Peter. I need… I have… Please."

He slowed to a stop and looked at her. She was deathly pale, and breathing heavily.

He looked around, and then pulled her into an alley, helping her to sit down on the ground, her back against a building.

She gasped for air, and he too tried to catch his breath. After about 15 minutes, Peter was fine, and turned to Claire.

She was still so pale. Her face was twisted in an expression of pain.

"Claire?"

She opened her eyes a little. "I feel so weak. I think the fall, and then the running… plus with you taking some of my power…I just… I'm so tired."

He nodded. He hadn't even considered what effect all of this was having on Claire.

He crouched in front of her, brushing some hair out of her face. "Come on, we'll find a place to stop for the night."

She nodded, and he pulled her to her feet, but when she took a step, she crumpled to the ground.

"Claire?"

She looked up at him. "Peter, I can't walk. I'm so tired…"

He nodded. "Stay right here."

He walked into the street, and hailed a taxi. When the cab pulled up next to him, he opened the door. He went back to Claire, and bent down next to her.

"Claire, I'm going to carry you, okay?" She nodded.

He swept her into his arms, lifting her off the ground with ease. _God, she's so tiny._

He slid into the taxi. "Can you take us to the closest motel, please?" The driver said something Peter couldn't quite hear, and then nodded.

As they drove, Peter looked down at the young woman in his lap.

She was so beautiful, so perfect. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and noticed the driver watching him in the rear view mirror.

He was thankful the cab was dark and the driver couldn't see their blood-soaked clothes.

"Your girl had a little too much to drink?"

_Nope. She's just tired because we jumped off of a building and I'm absorbing her healing powers. _

"Yeah, just partied a little too hard." The cab driver nodded knowingly.

"Don't worry about it buddy, I get this all the time. People in New York like to party." Peter smiled slightly.

The cab slowed to a stop. "Here ya go. I took you to one of the nicer ones. Most of the places around here are kinda sleazy."

Peter nodded, he paid the driver, thankful he had enough sense to grab his wallet before he and Claire had jumped.

He gathered Claire in his arms again, and walked into what he could only assume was the 'lobby' of the motel.

He walked to the front desk. "Hi. One room for tonight."

The woman behind the desk looked him up and down and snorted at the girl in his arms. "85 bucks. Unless you want a room with a vibrating bed for you and your girl here. What the hell happened to you two? Did you wrestle an alligator?"

Peter sighed a little angrily. "Just a regular room, thanks." He paid the woman, and she handed him the keys to the room.

He climbed the stairs to the second floor, unlocking the door to their room and flipping the light switch.

The room was much better than he had expected, and he placed Claire gently on the bed. He looked at her sleeping figure, and sighed.

_Poor girl. Eighteen and her life is already a royal mess._

He went to the bathroom and wet a washcloth. He came back, tugged her shoes off, and then began gently removing Claire's clothes.

He swallowed and tried to just keep his attention focused on his task, not the toned body of the 18 year old in his arms. He gently washed the blood off of her body.

When he had finished, he threw the washcloth in the trashcan. He took a quick shower, and then scrubbed their bloody clothes in the bathtub. He hung them to dry, and then went back to the bedroom.

Claire still slept peacefully on the bed, and he leaned down, kissing her softly on the cheek.

He slid onto the bed next to her, careful to put some distance between them so she wouldn't be uncomfortable if she woke up.

He closed his eyes, and let sleep take him.

* * *

Claire stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around the room. _Where…_

Then, she was aware of Peter's breath on the back of her neck. She rolled over to face him, and looked him over.

He looked perfect. No one would ever suspect they had jumped off of a building and practically run the New York City Marathon.

She smiled, and then noticed how little clothing he was wearing. How little clothing THEY were wearing.

She was in her underwear. _What the hell…_

She slid off the bed gently, and padded into the bathroom. She saw their clothes hanging in the shower, blood stains still visible, but not as bad as the night before. _He must have rinsed our clothes out._

She moved the clothes, and turned on the shower. She took her underwear off, and stepped under the red-hot stream of water. She washed the sticky dried blood out of her hair, using an entire bottle of the complimentary motel shampoo. She finished up, toweled off, and dressed. She tugged a comb through her hair, and then went back to the bedroom.

Peter was sitting up in bed, head in hands.

"Peter?"

He looked up as she emerged, and smiled. "How do you feel?"

She nodded. "Good. I feel a lot stronger; I think the rest did me good."

He nodded. "I'm glad."

She slid onto the bed beside him, and clasped his hand. "What happened last night? I remember running, and then I'm kind of drawing a blank…"

Peter pushed his bangs out of his face. "We stopped to rest, and you looked so pale. You said you felt really weak. I guess jumping off the building, me absorbing some of your power, and then all the running, it really wore you out. So I hailed us a cab, and we came here. I had to carry you to and from the cab, and to the room. I got some strange looks, let me tell you. The cab driver thought you were drunk, and the lady behind the desk asked if we'd wrestled an alligator."

Claire threw her head back and laughed, and Peter grinned. "She also asked if we'd be needing a room with a vibrating bed."

Claire turned crimson, and giggled. Peter laughed too. "It's so good to hear you laugh." He pushed her hair out of her face. "I'm glad you're okay."

She nodded. "Me too."

Once again, they were aware of the same feeling they'd had after they'd jumped off the building. Total faith and trust in the other. Claire ran a hand over his face, seeing a strange look in his eyes. Peter cupped her face in his hand, sliding his thumb across her chin. They both swallowed.

Peter cleared his throat and slid off the bed. "We should get moving. Whoever was chasing us might've been able to pick up our trail by now."

He went into the bathroom, emerging a few minutes later completely clothed.

Claire pulled her shoes on, and Peter sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. He grasped one of her hands in his.

She smiled faintly. "So where do we go from here?"

He stared straight ahead. "I guess we go to Nathan. I hate to get him involved, but honestly, I don't know what else to do. He can get us the protection we need."

Claire nodded mutely, simply looking at their clasped hands.

Peter brought her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. "It'll be okay, Claire. I'm going to protect you no matter what."

She nodded, and their eyes met.

"I trust you, Peter."

He stood, pulling her up with him.

"You ready?"

Claire nodded, and they left the room, hands firmly clasped between them.

* * *

**_Well, there you are, chapter 3. Who was breaking into Peter and Claire's apartment? Relax, my dear readers, all will be explained in time._**

**_So, no more chapters until Sunday, but that doesn't mean you can't review! So make me happy, click that little button at the bottom of the page, and tell me what you think._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I will, as promised, publish two chapters tonight. Be kind with your reviews, and I might even post another one or two chapters tomorrow! oOo! _**

****

* * *

The taxi pulled up in front of a historic-looking brick building. They got out, and Peter led her up the large marble stairs to the doors.

"This is Nathan's campaign headquarters."

As they stepped into the lobby, they heard a squeal, and a tall brunette in a slinky dress ran towards them.

"Petey! Oh, long time no see!" The woman threw her arms around Peter, and he and Claire both cringed.

"Hey, Stephanie. Is Nathan in?"

The woman walked back to her desk, high heels clacking on the marble floors. "He sure is. Who do we have here? A little friend of yours?"

Claire's jaw clenched.

Peter smirked. "This is my…" He paused, not knowing how to refer to her. "This is Claire."

The brunette extended one perfectly manicured hand, shaking Claire's hand daintily. "I'm Stephanie."

Claire nodded, and the receptionist pushed a button on her phone. "Nathan, Peter is here to see you."

There was an audible groan on the other end, and Claire stifled a laugh.

"Send him in, and Steph? Get me a bottle of aspirin."

She waved them towards the office.

Peter reached down, clasping Claire's hand in his, and walked towards the door.

Peter opened the door to Nathan's office, and his brother rose to meet them. "Peter. And… Claire? Is that right?" She nodded.

Nathan leaned against his desk, arms crossed. "What's going on? It must be something big to have you coming to see me."

Peter rubbed a hand over his face. "Someone broke into the loft last night."

Nathan's face froze. "Are…"

Peter held up his hands. "We're not hurt. We jumped out the window, and escaped him."

Nathan lowered his head, smiling slightly. "Of course you did. Any idea who it was?"

Peter shook his head, glancing at Claire. "No. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the guy who tried to kill us in Texas. If he had wanted to kill us, he would've done it while we were asleep, and he would've just thrown the doors off their hinges. This person was picking the locks. I'm thinking maybe it was Claire's dad, or someone working for him."

Nathan watched Claire wander over to Peter, placing her hand in his, and biting her lip. Peter smiled down at her, squeezing her hand lightly.

Nathan smiled. As perverted as it was, he could see the two had feelings for eachother. "So why come to me?"

Peter tore his eyes from Claire. "We need to get out of New York. I thought you'd be able to help."

Nathan sighed heavily. "I can't just set you up with some security?"

Peter shrugged. "I don't think so. Whoever this is probably wouldn't be too freaked out by a few rent-a-cops with handguns."

Nathan nodded. "Fine. You're taking the kid?"

Peter nodded, and Claire cleared her throat. "Uh, I'm eighteen now. You can stop calling me kid."

Nathan turned to Peter with a wide grin on his face. "So THAT'S why you're taking her."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Nathan..."

Nathan shook his head. "Never mind. I have a place in Nevada, not too far outside of Vegas. It should be safe. It's not on any map, so I'll have to have you flown there via my private jet."

Claire tightened her hand in Peter's. He looked down at her. "You okay with this?"

She shrugged. "I guess so. I trust you."

He smiled. "Okay. We're in, Nathan."

Nathan pressed the intercom button on his phone. "Steph? Get my pilot on the phone?"

He turned back to Peter and Claire. "Do you have stuff you might need? Clothes?"

Peter shook his head. "No. We didn't exactly get to pack a suitcase when we jumped out the window."

Nathan nodded. He walked around to his desk, opening a side cabinet. He worked the combination on a small safe, opening it and reaching inside. He pulled out a wad of money, and counted out several hundred dollars. He handed it to Peter. "Take this; buy you and Cheerleader some new clothes."

The intercom buzzed. "Carlos is on the phone, Nathan."

He picked it up. "Hey, Carlos. How's the family? Good, good. Listen, I need you to fly my brother and a friend to the safe house this afternoon. Uh huh, right. Okay, they'll be there. Thanks, Carlos. And hey, say hi to Pam and the kids for me."

He hung up, and smiled slightly. "Everything's all set. You need to be at the hangar by 4:30. I'll have Tobias take you in a town car. He'll drive you to whatever stores, and then he'll take you to the hangar."

He pulled Peter into a tight hug. "Be careful, Pete. You may be certifiable, but you're my brother, and I love you."

Peter nodded, pulling away.

Nathan turned to Claire. "Take care of him, Cheerleader, and take care of yourself." He smiled tightly.

He reached around the desk, dialing a number. "Tobias, pull around front, will you? You're going to drive Peter and a friend to a few stores, and then the hangar."

Peter nodded. "Thanks for everything Nathan, really."

Nathan shrugged. "You're welcome. Now, get out of here."

* * *

Peter leaned against the counter, sighing. "Claire? We have to be at the hangar in an hour. We need to hurry."

Claire sighed. "I'll be out in a second."

Her voice came out muffled through the door of the dressing room. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. _Looks good. _She tugged the clothes off, folding them carefully. She pulled her own clothes back on, and gathered the clothes she had been trying on for over an hour now.

She opened the door to see Peter leaning heavily against the counter, bored expression on his face. She immediately felt bad for having taken so long.

"I'm so sorry, Peter. I didn't mean to take so long."

His face brightened when he saw her. "It's okay. Did you find some things?"

She nodded. "Yeah, these are great."

He nodded, gesturing for her to put them up on the counter.

Peter had taken them to a rather snooty department store, and Claire had fallen in love with just about everything in the store. But she reminded herself that it was Nathan's money, and that she had to be practical. She had picked out a few essentials; underwear, jeans, a few t-shirts, a couple of hooded sweatshirts and a pair of pajamas.

The salesclerk rang up their purchases, and Claire's jaw dropped at the total. She had never seen such a big bill. Peter paid it without batting an eyelash, and they left.

As they got into the back of the town car, Peter glanced at his watch. "We should make it in time."

The driver turned to face them. "Any more stops sir?"

Peter shook his head. "Just the hangar, Tobias. Thanks."

Claire stared out the window as they drove, and Peter sighed. "Claire, you've been nearly silent since you found out we had to leave New York. We don't HAVE to go if you really don't want to, I just think it would be a lot safer if we left."

Claire shook her head, turning to face him. "It's not that, really. I'm just thinking. I mean, what now? We go to this safe house, but for how long? Are we going to live there the rest of our lives?"

Peter shook his head. "No, of course not. This is just temporary. Claire, I know this is scary. But I have to protect you."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Why? Why do you have to protect me? Because some time-traveling Japanese guy came and told you to?''

Peter smiled faintly, looking down at his hands. "That's part of it."

She looked out the window again, but he reached out, placing a hand on her face. "Claire…"

She turned to face him, her eyes sad.

"That's only part of it. I have to protect you because someone told me to, but I also have to protect you because I care about you. I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to you. I'd never be able to forgive myself."

She smiled that smile of hers, the one where he never knew if she was happy or sad. "I'm indestructible, remember?"

He smiled slightly, his thumb brushing across her cheek. "We'll be fine. "

She nodded, turning to face the window again. "We'll be fine." She whispered.

* * *

Claire stepped inside the safe house. It was hot, and Peter crossed to the thermostat, cranking up the air conditioning.

The pilot, Carlos, handed them a set of keys. "These are for the house, they're all labeled. There's a car in the garage, and the cupboards have been stocked with anything you might need."

Peter nodded, taking the keys. "Thanks Carlos." The older man shook Peter's hand and nodded at Claire before leaving.

Claire flopped on a plush leather sofa. "This is a really nice place!"

Peter nodded, sticking his head into the large kitchen. Claire hopped up and followed him in. She began opening cabinet doors, ooh-ing and ah-ing over the contents. Peter leaned against the counter, watching her.

When she'd inspected all of the cabinets, she turned around, and caught him staring at her. "What?"

He swallowed. "Huh?"

She put her hands on her hips. "You were staring at me. What? Do I have something on my face?"

He grinned, shaking his head. "No, you don't have something on your face."

She sighed in relief. "Then what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was just…watching you."

She smiled. "Oh, a _stalker._"

She walked over to him, putting up her fists. "Come on, fight me."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Claire, I'm not going to fight you."

She grinned, taking a swing at him. Her fist connected with his jaw. Pain shot through his face, and blood dribbled out of his mouth. But just as he was about to ask her what the hell she had done that for, the pain receded, and the bleeding stopped.

He looked down at her. "You are one crazy woman."

She grinned widely.

"Unfortunately, I'd never hit a woman. Even if she _is _indestructible."

She pouted. "Darn."

They stood there, smiling at eachother for a long time.

The phone ringing loudly interrupted their moment. Peter walked towards it, and Claire shoved him playfully.

"Who says _you _get to answer the phone?"

He shook his head, reaching for the phone. But Claire was relentless in her quest to play games with him. She smacked his hand away from the phone.

He sighed. "Claire, come on."

She grinned. "Fine, whatever."

He answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Peter? It's Nathan."

Peter smiled slightly. _Already checking up on me. _"Hey Nathan, what's up?"

Claire grinned. "HEY NATHAN!" She screamed.

Peter looked at her incredulously. "Did you drink a gallon of Mountain Dew or something? You're practically bouncing off the walls!"

She laughed.

"I don't know how you do it, Peter. I think I'd strangle her if I had to spend any extended period of time with her." Peter laughed softly at Nathan's comment.

"You get used to her. She's not that bad."

Peter could practically _hear _Nathan's smirk. "Yeah, I'm sure that it takes a lot of work getting used to having a gorgeous blonde girl following you around like a puppy dog. Hanging onto your every word, staring at you adoringly, prancing around in skimpy pajamas."

Peter sighed. "Nathan…" His voice was warning.

"Okay, fine. You want to lie to yourself and think that you two aren't absolutely gaga over eachother, go ahead. But seriously Peter, be careful. There are some condoms under the bathroom sink, and…"

Peter cut him off. "Did you want something Nathan? Or are you just calling to lecture me on safe sex."

Claire's eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open.

"I just wanted to make sure you two got there safely. I'll be checking in from time to time. I have to go, be safe Peter."

Peter smiled slightly. "Thanks, bye Nathan."

He hung up the phone, placing it back in it's charger.

Claire's face was somewhat comical when he turned around. "So, what was that about safe sex?"

Peter grinned. "Nathan was telling me that there are condoms under the bathroom sink, just in case."

Her cheeks turned red. "Oh, I see."

He chucked her under the chin. "Hey, he was just kidding around." _Or at least I think he was._

Claire nodded. "So, what's for dinner?"

He shrugged. "There's lots of food, pick something."

She grinned from ear to ear. "I have an idea. I'll make you dinner. You can go get us unpacked!"

He crossed his arms. "You're sure you don't want to do that the other way around?"

She gaped at him. "I can cook!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're sure?"

She scowled. "Yes! Now, get out of here! And Peter, don't feel embarrassed about unpacking my underwear."

He grinned, shaking his head. "Oh, believe me, I won't."

Her face colored a little as she watched him retreat up the stairs with their bags.

A few minutes later she was pulling out the ingredients for quiche when she heard him yell.

"Oh SHIT!"

She hurried up the stairs. "Peter?" She wasn't sure which room he was in.

"In here."

She walked into a medium-sized bedroom. "What's wrong?"

He gestured wildly. "There's only one bed!"

She laughed heartily. "And that's a problem? Peter, we slept in the same bed _last night_."

He nodded. "Yeah, but that was because there was nowhere else for me to sleep. I guess Nathan 'neglected' to mention there was only one bed."

She looked at the floor, biting her lip. "Do you not _want _to sleep in the same bed? I mean, is something wrong with it?"

Peter sighed, walking over to her, lifting her chin so she was looking at him. "Claire…"

She averted her eyes.

"Claire, look at me." She met his eyes reluctantly.

"It's nothing about you. I mean, it sort of is, but it's more about me." Confusion spread over her face.

"Look, I don't trust myself with you. Claire, do you know how beautiful you are? God, you're so beautiful…" He brought his other hand up to cup her face.

"I'm…I'm attracted to you. And that's not a bad thing, but I don't trust myself sleeping in the same bed with you. I mean, I would never do anything to hurt you, but…"He grasped for something to say to make her understand.

She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "You think I'm beautiful?" Her voice was so happy, so innocent.

He nodded mutely.

She stepped closer to him, adoration written all over her face. "You said you don't trust yourself, but I trust you. Peter, I know you. You would never do anything I didn't want you to."

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "You have a lot of faith in me, Claire. I just hope I don't let you down."

She smiled up at him. "You could _never _let me down."

Peter's hands glided down to her waist, resting there. Her arms reached up and encircled his neck, and she pulled herself to his body. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them wanting to move.

Finally, Peter cleared his throat. "So, uh, not to ruin this moment…"

She picked her head up from where it had been resting against his chest. "What?"

Peter smirked. "I'm hungry, woman."

She grinned. "Fine. You unpack, I'll go finish dinner."

* * *

Claire watched Peter as he washed the dishes. He had insisted she go relax since she made dinner, but she had stopped just inside the doorway to watch him.

He rubbed the sponge over the dishes in a clockwise motion, stopping every few minutes to brush his bangs out of his face.

_God, I love his bangs! _She couldn't help but grin at the thought.

She walked over to him, grabbing a towel. "Here, I'll dry."

Peter turned to her with a smile, but his eyes were sad.

"Peter? What is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, I'm fine."

She shook her head, reaching across him to turn off the water. "No, you're not. Peter, I know you pretty well by now, and you are _not _fine."

He sighed, leaning against the counter, and brushing his bangs away again. "I've been having these dreams. Premonitions, really. And they're not good ones."

Claire reached out, clasping his hand. "What are they?"

He was looking at her, but not really seeing her. It was like he was looking through her. "I'm in New York. I see Nathan, I see Hiro, and I see you." His voice came out in a whisper when he said the word 'you'.

"You run away from me, and then I… I blow up."

Silent tears had begun to trickle down her cheeks, and she let out a choked sob.

At the sound of her crying, it was like he came back to earth. He pulled her to him tightly, one arm around her waist, the other around her shoulders, his hand smoothing her hair. "Shhhhh…I'm sorry, Claire. I didn't mean to upset you."

She buried her face in his chest. When her sobs had subsided, she picked her head up. "I can't lose you, Peter. You're all I have left." Her voice came out in a whisper.

He shook his head. "You won't lose me Claire, not if I can help it." She looked up at him, her face nearly angelic.

And he knew, then. He knew he loved her.

He wiped her tears away, and pulled her forehead to his lips.

When he stepped away, she clung to his arm. "Peter…Please…"

She looked panicked. "Don't leave me."

He wrapped his arms around her again. "Claire, I'm not leaving you. _Ever._"

He led her up the stairs to bed, pulling off her shoes and tucking her in.

She caught his hand as he moved to walk away. The look on her face stopped him in his tracks.

He kicked his shoes off, and moved onto the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her. He fought back his own tears as he heard her sniffling.

Eventually, her sniffling stopped, her breathing steadied, and she fell asleep.

Peter lay awake, thinking about his dreams and about the woman in his arms that he now knew he loved.

His eyes began to droop, and he dropped off to sleep.

* * *

**_GASP! Peter loves her! I know, AWWWWWWWWWWWWW, right? Well, you have another chapter to read, so get on with it! _**


	6. Chapter 6

Claire awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon.

She smiled. _Peter._

As she sat up, the memories of the night before came flooding back.

She bit her lip, forcing the tears back. _No. I fell apart on him last night. I need to be here for him, support him. Keep his mind off of it._

She tugged her shirt over her head, and dropped her jeans to the floor. She walked over to the dresser Peter had designated as hers, and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top, yanking them on.

She walked down the stairs, into the kitchen. Peter was dishing out portions of bacon, eggs, and fresh fruit and smiled a little uncertainly at her.

She gave him her biggest smile, and plopped down at the kitchen table. "Morning, Peter. That better be for me, because I am _starving._"

Peter looked relieved, and nodded. "Yeah, this plate is for you. But the way _you _eat, it may not be enough."

She pretended to be shocked. "Why, Peter Petrelli! I'm surprised at you! You know you should _never _tease a girl about her weight!"

Peter grinned. "Well, it's a good thing you're not a girl then."

Her jaw dropped. "Take that _back._"

He shook his head. "No, I mean, you're a _woman _remember? At least that's what you told Nathan."

She smiled. "Indeed. Now gimme that plate, Petrelli." He laughed, handing her the plate.

They shared their typical teasing, light conversation over breakfast. When they had finished, they did the dishes together, flirting back and forth.

When the last dish was put away, Peter turned to her with a grin. "I have a surprise for you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're secretly a male stripper and you're going to explode if you don't rip all your clothes off right now?"

He sputtered. "Wha…No…Claire!" He laughed heartily, his cheeks turning a pale shade of pink, and she grinned.

He grabbed her arm, twirling her around so her back was against his chest, and covered her eyes. "Come on."

He led her through the kitchen, to the back door, and they stepped outside. The warm Nevada sun beat down on them as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Ready? On the count of three, open your eyes. 1…2…3!"

He pulled his hands away, and she gasped. "A pool!"

He grinned. "We were so impressed with the _inside _of the house, we didn't even bother to look _outside_."

She laughed, and he smiled. "Well, come on. Let's go get some bathing suits on, and swim!"

She clapped her hands, and darted inside the house ahead of him. He shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, and followed her inside.

He was back outside at the pool in 10 minutes, t-shirt and shorts exchanged for swim trunks. But Claire was nowhere to be seen. He shrugged, shouting behind him. "I'm getting in, Claire!"

He dove in, the cool water a welcome relief from the desert temperatures.

As he bobbed up for air, a shadow fell across the pool, and he wiped the water from his eyes.

Claire stood on the edge of the pool, in a red string bikini. Peter nearly swallowed his tongue. She twirled, and then grinned down at him with a wink. "Well, how do I look?"

His mouth opened and closed a few times, and then he simply said "Shit."

She smiled seductively, dipping a foot in the pool, trailing it back and forth through the water. Peter watched her, transfixed.

Finally, he couldn't take any more. He grabbed her foot, pulling her into the water.

She came up for air, punching his shoulder. "I _so _hate you."

He grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and legs around his waist.

She rested her head on his shoulder, sighing. "I never want to leave. This is how it should always be. Just you and me, all the food we can eat, and a swimming pool."

He rested his chin on the top of her head. "I know. It would be perfect."

She lifted her head up. "Well, not _perfect…_"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, what _would _make it perfect?"

She smiled wickedly. "Come on now, Peter. You really have to _ask_?"

He shook his head incredulously. "Where did you get such a dirty mind?"

She tilted her head to one side. "From you."

He laughed. "Oh no you don't. I'm not getting blamed for this."

She grinned, laying her head back down on his shoulder. He tried to ignore the shivers that were running through his body at her bare skin touching his.

Claire closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her waist, the closeness of their bodies. She opened her eyes, looking up at him.

He was looking down at her, his gaze affectionate.

She smiled up at him. "You know, I think you might be cute."

He chuckled, raising his eyebrows. "_Might _be?"

She nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah, I'm trying to decide."

She made great show of looking him up and down, lingering on his chiseled abdomen just a little too long.

When her eyes met his again, she was looking at him in a way he'd never seen her look at him.

Her body had gone completely rigid in his arms, her eyes dark.

He swallowed, and knew that he had to do _something _or this was going to go somewhere bad.

He thought quickly, and dunked her under the water.

She bobbed to the surface, an expression of shock written across her face. "Okay, you're definitely not cute. In fact, I think you may be hideous. Yes, you're hideous, Peter Petrelli."

He grinned, swimming over to the side of the pool. "C'mere, crybaby, let's race."

She grinned, swimming over to him. "On your mark, get set…"

* * *

"NO! NO! CLAIRE!"

Claire sat straight up in bed, looking down at Peter who was thrashing wildly in his sleep.

He was drenched in sweat, and his face was ghostly pale.

"Peter! Peter, wake up." She shook him, and he woke up, letting out a strangled cry.

She grasped his hand, looking him dead in the eyes. "Peter, it's okay. You're okay. It was just a dream."

He sat up, and took one look at her before pulling her into a desperate embrace. "Oh, Claire. You're okay. You're safe. Oh God, I was so scared."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Of course I'm okay. What…"

He began to shake, and she could hear him sobbing quietly. "My dream… I killed you."

She swallowed, tightening her arms around him. "It was just a dream, Peter. I'm right here, and you would never hurt me."

He clung to her like he was drowning, and she felt like her heart was breaking.

And she knew, then. She knew she loved him.

She pulled away gently, her hands gripping either side of his face. "I'm fine. We're both fine. You didn't hurt me, and you never will."

She placed a soft kiss on his forehead, before lying down, and wrapping her arms around him. "You need to sleep, Peter. It'll be okay."

He was trembling, and she swallowed, trying her best not to cry.

* * *

Peter crept down the stairs, careful not to wake Claire.

He picked up the phone, walking outside to the pool. He dialed the number he knew by heart, and waited for an answer.

"Hello?"

He sighed. "Hey Nathan, it's me."

There was a snort from the other side of the line. "For God's sake, Peter. Do you know what time it is here?"

Peter bit his lip. "Yeah, and I'm sorry, but I needed to call while Claire was asleep."

Nathan was silent for a second on the other end. "Is something wrong?"

Peter ran a hand through his hair. "I can't do this anymore, Nathan. I can't protect her. I keep having these dreams where I'm hurting her. It scares the hell out of me. I need to get out of here, but I can't leave her alone."

Nathan sighed heavily. "I can bring her here, if you need me to. It's going to be a pain in the ass to try and explain to Heidi, but she can stay with us."

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. "I appreciate it Nathan. Really. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Nathan sounded so weary when he replied. "Have you talked to her yet? She's going to hate you. You have to know that she'll hate you."

Peter swallowed. "I don't want to hurt her, Nathan. If anything were to happen to her…"

Nathan cleared his throat loudly. "I'll have the jet waiting for her at 3 P.M.; I'll send a driver to bring her to the hangar. Let her down easy, Pete. She cares a lot about you."

Peter sighed. "Thanks, Nathan."

He hung up, walking back inside. He climbed the stairs again, and crawled into bed.

He wrapped his arms around a still-sleeping Claire, knowing that he would be sleeping alone again the next night.

* * *

**_I know, I'm so evil! But there you are, the two chapters I promised. Want more? You know what to do! Leave Milo on my doorstep by 4 p.m. tomorrow. OR you could just review... Whatever works better for you._**


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Claire piled the pancakes onto a platter, adding syrup and butter to the tray. She put a glass of orange juice on the side, and carried the tray slowly up the stairs. She sat the tray down carefully on the edge of the bed, shaking Peter's shoulder lightly. 

He opened his eyes, and smiled up at her. "Hey."

She grinned down at him, and as he sat up, placed the tray on his lap. "Breakfast in bed for my hero." She gave him a triumphant smile.

He swallowed, looking down at the breakfast she had prepared so lovingly. _She's going to make this hard on me, isn't she?_

She gazed at him eagerly, as he took his first bite. They were delicious. Light and fluffy, still warm.

He smiled. "Claire, they're great. You didn't have to do this, it was really sweet."

She shrugged, flipping her hair. "I know." She grinned at him, as he shook his head.

* * *

Peter glanced at the clock. _2:30. The driver is going to be here any minute._

He picked up Claire's bags, which he'd just finished packing. He heard the car pull up, and walked out. He dropped her bags in the trunk, and then walked back inside.

"Hey Claire? Could you come here?"

She emerged from the kitchen a moment later. "Yeah?"

He gestured towards the door. "Let's go."

She raised an eyebrow. "Go? Go where?"

He smiled half-heartedly. "It's a surprise. Don't ask questions, let's just go."

She shrugged. "Okay." She slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops, following him out the door.

Peter was grateful that Nathan had sent a different driver. He wanted to have as much pleasant time with Claire as possible before he had to drop the bomb on her.

They slid into the back seat, and Peter reached over to clasp her hand.

She smiled at him, turning to look out the window. "So, give me a hint. Where are we going? Is it warm? Are there beaches? Will I like it?"

He swallowed, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. "It isn't warm, there aren't many beaches, and no. You won't like it."

She laughed, and then caught the serious expression on Peter's face. "Are you serious? Peter, what's going…"

She looked out the window, and caught sight of Nathan's plane. "We're moving again?"

She sighed. "I really liked it here. Oh well, where are we off to?"

Peter swallowed. "Claire, I'm not going."

Her smile melted away, and her body went rigid. "_What?_"

He squeezed her hand tightly. "Claire, I'm sending you to stay with Nathan and Heidi. I won't let my dreams have a chance of coming true."

She yanked her hand away, and threw open the car door as they rolled to a stop. She took off running, where, she didn't know.

Peter caught up to her a minute later, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to a stop. "Claire, it's okay. I just… I can't protect you anymore."

She whirled around, smacking him hard across the face. "You son of a bitch. How could you do this to me? Damn it, Peter. I love you! How could you do this to me?!"

His stared at her. "You…You…"

She let the tears come, then. "Yeah, Peter. I love you."

He looked away, fighting back tears of his own. "I love you, too."

She yanked on his jacket, drawing his attention back to her. "Then why are you doing this? Don't send me away, Peter."

He held her face in his hands. "Claire, I have to. I can't hurt you. Do you know what would happen to me if I lost you? I'd go insane! I'd throw myself off the nearest building. I can't lose you. Nathan can keep you safe."

She clung to him desperately. "I love you, please. Please, don't do this."

He looked down at her tear-streaked face. She was so beautiful, so perfect.

His lips were on hers, then. A crushing, desperate kiss.

She wrapped her arms around him so tight, he couldn't breathe, but he didn't want to. She tasted _so _sweet. Her mouth moved against his, his tongue sliding in her mouth liberally. He ran his hands through her blonde curls, and then he pulled away.

"No, don't. Peter, don't stop."

He untangled her arms from his neck, and Claire screamed. "NO! Peter, DON'T LEAVE ME!"

He carried her up the stairs of the plane, putting her down in a seat and fastening her seat belt.

He kissed her one last time, softly, passionately on the mouth. And then he was gone.

Claire sobbed as she watched him walk across the runway, back to the car. "I love you…" She whispered.

* * *

If Peter's heart wasn't absolutely broken in half, he would've been embarrassed by the tears that hadn't stopped since he'd put Claire on the plane. 

When he got back to the safe house, he went to the liquor cabinet, and promptly started drinking.

* * *

As Claire stepped out of the plane, a sleek black car pulled up on the runway, and Nathan stepped out. 

He opened the door for her, and she slid in without saying a word. The chauffer put her suitcases in the trunk, and got behind the wheel.

Nathan cleared his throat. "Home, please."

The car pulled away from the airstrip, and Nathan glanced over at Claire.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her makeup smeared on her face. _She's been crying quite a lot, apparently. Poor kid. _Nathan ran a hand through his short hair, and decided he should say _something._

"So, I hope you'll like Heidi and the boys. They're excited about your coming. Incidentally, you're an old friend of Peter's who is down on her luck. My family doesn't know about my abilities, Peter's, or yours. I'd like to keep it that way."

At the mention of Peter, Claire flinched.

Nathan sighed. "He's doing this because he cares about you, you have to know that."

Claire turned to him, tears rolling slowly down her cheeks. "I love him, Nathan. And he told me that he loves me too. So why is he doing this? I could help him. He's so overprotective. He'd never hurt me. I don't understand!" She choked back a sob, and Nathan's heart went out to her.

_God, he told her he loved her. _"Claire, Peter's biggest fear is hurting the ones he loves. Those dreams are scaring the hell out of him, and he needed to send you away. He did this _because _he loves you."

Claire looked down at her hands. "I know you're right. I just…How long? I mean, how long am I going to have to be away from him?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know, Claire. Until Peter feels it's safe."

A tear rolled down her cheek as they pulled into the long driveway leading up to Nathan's house. They stopped in front of the house, and the chauffer opened Claire's door, then Nathan's.

Nathan grabbed Claire's bags himself, motioning for her to follow him. They entered the house, and Nathan sat the bags by the door. A maid approached them, and Nathan nodded at her.

"Hannah, please take Ms. Bennet's bags up to her room." The maid nodded curtly, and gave Claire a small smile.

Nathan headed into a room off the main hallway, and Claire followed. They walked into a large sitting room, with huge windows and many plants. A woman in a wheelchair sat by the window, reading the newspaper. Nathan walked over to her, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

The woman turned her chair around and Claire smiled uncertainly. "You must be Claire."

The woman rolled her chair over, stopping in front of Claire and extending her hand. "I'm Heidi, Nathan's wife."

Claire shook her hand lightly, marveling at the simple beauty of the woman. She was dressed in a nice pantsuit, her brown hair swept up into a bun. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Petrelli."

Heidi laughed, and waved her hands. "Please, call me Heidi. Any friend of Peter's is a friend of ours. I was sorry to hear about your job."

Claire smiled what she hoped was gratefully, glancing at Nathan. _I wonder what kind of bull crap story he told her._

"Thank you. It's been tough, and I appreciate your generosity in letting me stay here."

Heidi nodded, smiling warmly. She turned to Nathan. "Nathan, Claire must be tired from her trip. I'll have Hannah show her to her room."

She gestured to Claire, and rolled into the main hallway. "Hannah! I swear, that girl is never doing what she's supposed to be. We'll call you for dinner, but I figured you'd like to rest."

Claire nodded gratefully, as Hannah stepped into the hallway. "Please show Ms. Bennet her room."

The maid nodded. "No problem, Mrs. Petrelli."

Claire followed the maid up a winding staircase, and down a long hallway before they stopped at a carved wooden door. "Here you are, miss."

Claire nodded. "Thank you."

She stepped inside, shutting and locking the door behind her. She unpacked her suitcases, putting her clothes away neatly, and flopped on the bed.

She looked around the room. It was quite pretty. Blue, with blue and white floral bedding and curtains. She spotted another door in the corner, and opened it to find her own bathroom. She smiled slightly. _I could get used to that…_

She walked back to the bed, kicking her shoes off and pulling the covers over her petite frame. She closed her eyes, but all she could think of was Peter.

She thought over the blissful two weeks they'd spent in Nevada, and the kisses he'd given her before putting her on the plane.

Her lips tingled at the memory, and then tears spilled down her cheeks. She cried herself into a weary sleep.

* * *

Nathan sighed, leaning his head against the door to Claire's room, listening to her sobs. 

He moved down the hallway to his office, shutting the door behind him. He slid down in his chair, picking up the phone. He dialed a number, and waited for the answer.

"Hello?"

Nathan ran a hand through his hair. "I hope you know what this is doing to her. She's in her room crying her heart out."

Peter sighed on the other end. "Please, don't tell me that. God, DON'T TELL ME THAT! You don't think it was fucking hard to put her on that airplane? Especially after she told me she loved me."

"I don't know what else to tell you, Pete. This is destroying her. I think you made a mistake."

Peter choked back tears. "I know what I'm doing, Nathan. I can't risk hurting her, ever. I have to go. Tell her I love her?"

There was a resounding click, and Peter was gone. Nathan hung up the phone, staring out the window.

* * *

Peter hung up the phone, tears forming in his eyes, but refusing to let them flow. 

He had long since run out of alcohol, and now was left with his thoughts of Claire. He thought back to the look of absolute abandonment that had been on her face when he left her on the plane. The feel of her lips against his would be etched into his memory for the rest of his life.

He climbed the stairs to the bedroom, falling heavily onto the bed. He rolled over to face the framed picture that sat on the nightstand. Claire, her arm around Peter, planting a kiss on his cheek. Claire had found a digital camera in the safe house, and they'd printed it out on the computer. He had printed a second copy later, placing it in the bottom of Claire's suitcase.

He ran a finger across the picture, across Claire's beautiful face. He rolled onto his back, shut his eyes, and let the tears come.

* * *

**_Oh, the agony! I've torn them apart, but hey, at least I gave you their first kiss before I did._**

**_I got a bunch of lovely reviews from you, my wonderful readers. And so, as a bonus, I am adding another chapter. So, go! Go read! _**


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

Claire woke to a knock at the door. Sunlight streamed through the window, and she glanced at the clock.

_10 A.M.? _She sat up, and walked over to the door.

The maid stood at the door, tray in hand. "Good Morning, Miss. Mrs. Petrelli asked me to bring this to you. She figured you'd be hungry since you missed dinner last night."

Claire looked down at the omelet and bowl of fresh fruit, and smiled. "Thanks." She took the tray, and closed the door behind her with her foot.

She carried the tray over to a table near the window, and ate. She _was _really hungry.

When she was finished, she spotted her suitcases still sitting on the floor, open from her hasty unpacking the night before. As she bent down to zip them up, something caught her eye.

As she pulled it out, she gasped. A lump caught in her throat, and she blinked back tears. She carried the photo over to the nightstand, propping it up against the lamp. She gazed at it, her heart breaking.

She remembered when she had taken it. She and Peter had been exploring the house, and she had discovered a digital camera in a desk in the bedroom. She had thrown an arm around Peter and kissed his cheek, catching him off-guard for a candid shot.

They had both loved the picture, and had printed out a copy on the computer, framing it and putting it on the nightstand. It had still been there when they left, so Peter must have printed another copy.

She closed her eyes, and bit her lip. _I'm not going to cry. I can't... _

She went into the bathroom, turning on the shower. She undressed, stepping under the piping hot streams of water.

Claire finished her shower, drying off and wrapping a towel around her body. She stepped back into the bedroom, and crossed to the dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She dressed, and pulled on her shoes.

She ventured out the door into the hallway, and she heard her name being called.

She turned to see Nathan sitting at a desk in the room at the end of the hallway. She entered, and he motioned for her to shut the door. She took a seat across from him at the desk.

Nathan smiled. "How did you sleep?"

Claire smiled slightly. "Okay. Not great, but nightmares will do that to you."

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed. "You're having nightmares?"

She bit her lip, looking down at her lap. "Yeah. It's the first time I've had them since I've been away from my parents."

Nathan leaned forward. "What are they?"

Claire swallowed. "I had them 3 times last night. In each one, Peter ended up dead, because I wasn't there. Because I wasn't with him."

Nathan sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Claire, they're only nightmares."

She stood up, her hands on the desk, leaning forward with an eager look on her face. "What if we could convince him that I _need _to be around him. Maybe he'd let me go back."

Nathan shook his head sadly. "Claire, I talked to Peter yesterday. There's no changing his mind about this. I tried, believe me. He won't budge."

Claire's mouth dropped open. "You talked to him? Is he okay?"

Nathan nodded. "He's upset, sad. I tried to convince him that his dreams are just dreams, that he'd never hurt you. He said he can't trust himself."

Claire's face fell, and she sank back into the chair. She put her head in her hands.

Nathan swallowed. "He said to tell you he loves you."

Her head shot up. "Loves me? _Loves _me? No, Nathan. He doesn't love me. If he loved me, he would trust me to take care of myself, and he wouldn't have sent me away."

Nathan's face was sad. "Claire, you know he loves you. He did this to protect you."

She stood up, stopping with her hand on the doorknob. "If he loved me, he would have enough faith in me, that I can take care of myself. He would have enough faith in _himself _to take care of me." She walked out, slamming the door behind her.

Nathan rested his head on the desk, only to be startled by the phone ringing. He answered it.

"Hello?"

The other end was silent for a second, and then Peter's voice came over the line. "Nathan? It's me."

Nathan sighed. "Speak of the devil…"

Peter was silent again. "Who was speaking of me?"

Nathan swallowed. "Claire and I were. Peter, she's having nightmares where _you _die. She's freaked out, she thinks that her being away from you means you're going to die."

Peter sighed. "Nathan, there's something we need to talk about, and it's serious."

Nathan's heart skipped a beat. Peter had his grown-up voice, the one he used only when things were _really _bad.

"What is it?"

Peter swallowed. "He found me. Sylar, the guy who attacked Claire and me at homecoming. I went for a run this morning, and when I got back, he was in the house. I barely got away, and now I'm trying to hide in Vegas. The problem is, this guy isn't normal. He can find me easy as you please. I don't know what to do."

Nathan swallowed, his brain desperately trying to process everything his brother had just said. "Hold on a second, Pete."

He pushed the mute button on the phone, rushing to the door. "CLAIRE!"

* * *

Claire was halfway down the stairs when she heard Nathan yelling her name. 

She rushed back up the stairs, stopping in the middle of the hallway when she saw the panicked look on his face.

"Peter…" Her voice came out in a whisper.

Nathan nodded. "He needs our help. Sylar found him. He's hiding in Las Vegas, but he's scared, and I don't know what to do."

Claire's lower lip trembled. "We have to get there, we have to find him. I can protect him, Nathan. No matter what he says. I'm indestructible. I can't be hurt. But when I'm not around, he _can _be. I can't lose him."

Nathan nodded. He rushed back into the office, picking up the phone again. "Peter, we're coming, just hang in there. Where are you?"

Peter's voice was shaky. "I'm at the MGM Grande casino. I'm wandering around, riding elevators, and just trying to keep moving. Hurry. Nathan, who's we?"

Nathan looked at Claire. She was waving her arms frantically, gesturing for him to keep her coming with him a secret.

"Me and some security. We'll be there as soon as possible."

Claire rushed to her room, grabbing a jacket. She reappeared in Nathan's office a moment later, and he nodded at her. "We're going to fly."

She nodded. "How long before we board the jet?"

Nathan shook his head with a small smile. "No, Claire. We're going to _fly._"

Her mouth dropped open, and then she smiled. "Fun, fun."

* * *

Peter hung up the payphone, looking around to see if anyone was watching him. No one in the immediate vicinity was even looking at him, but he wasn't going to take any chances. 

He got on an elevator, taking it to the top floor. As soon as the doors opened, he was out and pressing the down button for another elevator. He rode back down to the casino, and sank down in a chair far away from the front door.

He looked down at his watch. It had been 10 minutes since his conversation with Nathan, but it seemed like it had been an eternity. He bit his lip, and looked up at the front door. As he did, he spotted Nathan walking quickly towards him, and…

His heart nearly stopped.

_Claire._

Claire was behind him, a frightened expression on her face.

When she saw Peter, she stopped dead in her tracks.

She was running, then. She jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Oh, Peter…"

Her tears soaked through the cotton of his t-shirt, but he didn't mind. He held onto her, forgetting for a moment that Nathan had disobeyed his wishes and brought Claire.

In that moment, everything else faded into the background. The woman he loved was back in his arms.

He lifted her face from his chest, kissing her fiercely.

When they parted, Nathan cleared his throat. "Uh, Peter? Think we should maybe get out of here?"

Peter nodded, his eyes never leaving Claire's face. Peter leaned down, whispering in her ear. "Forget everything else, you're never leaving me again."

She reached up and kissed him again, their mouths melding together.

Nathan cleared his throat again. "Uh, Peter? If you're trying not to draw attention to yourself, you're doing a pretty terrible job. Come on, we have to get out of here."

Peter kept his arm firmly wrapped around Claire's waist as they walked out the door of the casino into the hot Nevada sun.

Nathan held out his hands. "Here, I'll get us out of here."

Peter smirked. "Where are we going?"

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed. "Texas. There's someone there that I've arranged for us to meet."

Claire visibly tensed, but then sighed. "Well, I'd rather risk running into my Dad than running into Sylar."

Peter closed his eyes and focused very hard on Nathan. Then, he wrapped his arms around Claire's waist, and launched them into the sky.

Nathan flew up beside them a moment later, and shook his head. "Showoff. Follow me."

* * *

**_I reunited them! Now, aren't you happy? Show me how much, drop me a review. Lots of love, and I MIGHT post another chapter or two tonight. _**


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

Nathan wrapped sharply on the front door.

They had landed in front of a nice little house with a garden. Claire thought it looked like the perfect house.

The door opened, and she and Peter gasped. "You?"

Matt Parkman smiled tightly. Looking around quickly, he waved them inside. "Come in. I sent my wife to her mother's in Florida; I figured that would be safest."

Nathan nodded. "Peter, Claire, I think you've already met Officer Matt Parkman."

They both nodded, and Matt smiled slightly. "It's okay; you're not in any kind of trouble. Although, you…" He pointed to Claire. "Are listed as a missing person at the Odessa Police Department."

She smiled sheepishly.

He shrugged. "Nathan, you said on the phone that something had come up with Sylar?"

Nathan nodded. "Are you still in contact with Professor Suresh?"

Matt scratched his head. "I haven't been for a while, but I could call…"

He caught sight of Peter's arm wrapped around Claire's waist, her hand on his chest. They were gazing at eachother affectionately, and Matt stopped mid-sentence. "Uh, something going on between you two?"

Claire's cheeks turned a pale shade of pink, and Peter swallowed. "Uh, yeah. Kinda."

Matt raised his eyebrows.

Claire held up her hands. "I'm 18 now."

Matt smiled, shaking his head. "Alrighty then. I won't ask any more questions. I'll be right back; I'm going to get Suresh's phone number. The bathroom is down the hall, Claire."

Her head shot up, her mouth dropping open. "But I didn't…"

She grinned, smacking her forehead. "You read minds. I forgot."

Claire went to use the bathroom, and Nathan sat down in an armchair across from Peter.

Peter played with the hem of his shirt, and Nathan sighed. "Peter, it'll be okay. Once we talk to Suresh, things will be okay."

Peter sighed. "What is Suresh going to do about Sylar? He doesn't even have powers!"

Claire reentered the room putting an end to their conversation. She sat down next to Peter, knotting her fingers through his, and he wrapped an arm around her petite frame.

He leaned down, kissing her tenderly on the mouth.

Matt emerged from the other room, and cleared his throat.

They parted reluctantly, and Claire whispered, "We'll finish this later."

Matt pushed a button on the phone, switching it to speakerphone so everyone could hear.

"Professor Suresh."

Nathan took over. "Hello, professor. This is Nathan Petrelli. I'm here with Matt Parkman, my brother Peter, and Claire Bennet."

It was silent for a moment, and then Professor Suresh's deep voice came over the line. "Are you kidding me? All of you are together? Why are you calling me?"

Nathan cleared his throat. "Yes. We're all here. We need your help. My brother Peter is being chased by Sylar. We need to know how to protect him."

Again, silence.

"How the hell am I supposed to help you?"

Peter tightened his grip on Claire's hand. "Professor, this is Peter Petrelli. I'm not asking you to fight him or anything, but we need information on him. His strengths, weaknesses. We thought you might be able to help."

Suresh sighed. "You're going to fight him, aren't you? I don't want someone's death on my conscience. I'm telling you right now, if you go up against Sylar, you will die."

Claire gasped, and Peter squeezed her tightly.

Suresh heard her reaction. "I'm sorry to be so blunt, Ms. Bennet. I just need you all to know what Sylar is capable of."

Matt spoke up. "Is there anything you might be able to tell us about him? Weaknesses? Anything you can give us would be a help."

There was the sound of tapping keys on a keyboard, and then Suresh's voice rang out again. "He has very few weaknesses. He's nearly invincible."

Claire swallowed. "So am I, and I've died before. A tree branch went through my skull, punctured my brain."

Matt and Nathan gaped at her. Peter tensed, the memory of someone hurting Claire angering him.

He rubbed her back, and then spoke up again. "So, do you think we could kill him by plunging something through his skull?"

Suresh was quiet for a moment, and then sighed. "I think that would be your best bet. I'm sorry I can't be of more assistance, but you're up against something huge here."

Nathan took over again. "We appreciate your help. Professor Suresh, we'll let you know how it goes." With that, Nathan hung up.

He ran a hand through his hair, and then turned to Peter. "Well, there you go."

Peter nodded slowly, and then stood up. He turned to Matt and Nathan. "Will you come with me? Help if you can?"

They both nodded vigorously, and Claire stood up, crossing her arms. "You are _not _leaving me. I don't care what you say, I'm coming with you."

Peter shook his head, his voice warning. "Claire…"

She shook her head adamantly. "NO, Peter. Either you take me with you, or I'll never speak to you again."

Peter sighed, and his bangs fell across his eyes.

Claire bit her lip. _God, I just want to throw him against the wall and rip his clothes off. It's that damn hair._

Matt chuckled, and Claire whirled to face him. "What's so funny?"

He grinned. "Oh, nothing. I uh, you're thoughts are amusing."

Claire crossed her arms, setting her jaw. "Oh yeah? Well what am I thinking, tough guy?"

Matt shook his head. "I wouldn't want to embarrass you."

Claire's face turned a pale shade of pink. Peter looked at Claire, and then his face too, turned red. "Claire, come into the other room for a sec?" She rubbed her hand across her face, but followed him.

Peter tugged her into the nearest room with a door…the bathroom.

"Claire, please. You have to understand that I need you to be safe. I can't be worrying about you the entire time I'm trying to fight Sylar!"

Claire shook her head. "It's always about you, isn't it Peter? Did you ever think about how worried _I _would be about _you _while you're fighting Sylar? I can't stay here and twiddle my thumbs while the man I love is out there fighting for his life!"

It was only the second time she'd ever said she loved him, and Peter's mouth dropped open. He closed it quickly, taking her hands in his.

"Claire, please…" His voice was pleading.

She shook her head. "I'm going with you."

He sighed, and nodded reluctantly. "But you're staying with either Me, Nathan, or Matt at all times. Understood?"

She nodded, a smile playing at her lips. She turned to leave the bathroom, but Peter's chuckle stopped her.

"So uh, you like my hair, huh?"

She turned bright red. "Oh God, you…" She smacked her forehead. "You absorbed Matt's powers."

Peter nodded, taking a step towards her. "Yeah, I did."

Claire smiled, her face still warm. "Sorry about that, poor Matt's probably scarred for life."

Peter pressed her gently against the door, his hands sliding down to her waist. Claire's breath hitched, and a look of uncertainty flashed across Peter's face. Claire reached up, capturing his lips with hers, and uncertainty melted away.

Peter's tongue delved into her mouth, and Claire wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair. Her head banged up against the door, and Claire began to laugh. Peter pulled away, grinning at her.

"This _might _not be the place or time for this, huh?"

She shook her head, kissing him again tenderly. "As soon as all this is over, we're going to the right place at the right time, and then you're _mine_, Petrelli."

Peter kissed her again, and then nodded. Claire kissed him one last time, and then moved to open the door. Peter shoved it closed again, making her jump.

"Uh, I need a second to…uh…calm down."

Claire's face turned pink, and she grinned. "I really have that effect on you?"

Peter groaned, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "You have _no _idea."

* * *

Peter and Claire emerged from the bathroom a few moments later, hand in hand.

Matt looked at them for a second, reading Peter's thoughts. _Okay, Peter. Keep yourself in check here. Now is not the time or place. As soon as this is all over, you'll have her. ALL of her._

Matt raised his eyebrows, taking in the pair's appearance. Claire's hair was mussed, her clothing wrinkled. Peter's hair, too, was a mess, and the two top buttons of his shirt were undone.

Matt read Claire's thoughts, then. _Why is he looking at us? Oh, God. Can he tell what we were doing? DUH! Of course he can, he can read your freaking mind! _She looked directly into his eyes. _Stop it. Seriously, cut it out._

Matt almost laughed aloud, but simply cleared his throat. "So…"

Peter looked down at Claire. "She's coming with us. But, she has to be with one of us at all times."

Nathan stood, crossing his arms. "What happened to keeping her out of this at all costs?"

Claire tensed, wondering if Peter would change his mind.

Peter shrugged. "She's persuasive." He winked down at her, and she practically giggled.

Nathan shook his head, throwing up his hands. "I don't want to know."

Matt stepped forward. "So, where are we making our last stand?"

Claire shuddered. "Don't call it that. It won't be our last stand."

Nathan ran a hand through his short hair. "The Nevada desert makes the most sense. It'll make sure that no one else gets hurt."

They all nodded solemnly, and looked at eachother.

Nathan stepped forward. "Let's go."

* * *

**_On to the next chapter, my lovely readers. And then, do me a favor, REVIEW! _**


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

Nathan handed out high-tech walkie-talkies, and they all strapped them onto their belts.

Matt stepped up, since he had the most experience leading a team. "We each have a partner. Peter, you and Claire are a team, Nathan and I are a team. Teams stick together at all times. IF you are separated, contact your team member, or a member of the other team with the walkie-talkie. It will be ten times easier for Sylar to kill you if you're alone, so stick together! If your team needs backup, don't hesitate. Contact the other team. Understood?"

Peter, Claire, and Nathan nodded in unison and Matt looked around the circle. "If we don't make it back, it was a pleasure."

A tear rolled down Claire's cheek, and she wiped it away quickly.

Nathan cleared his throat. "Matt and I are going to head west. Peter, you and Claire head east."

Nathan stepped forward, pulling his younger brother into a tight hug. "I love you, Peter."

Peter returned the embrace, and then Nathan moved on to Claire. He hugged the petite girl, pulling away a little awkwardly. "Take care of my brother, kid."

She smiled up at the older man, nodding. Peter shook hands with Matt, and Claire hugged the policeman gently.

When they pulled apart, Matt leaned in, whispering in her ear. "I hope you two make it through this so you can finally, _you know_…"

Claire turned bright red, shaking her head. "Yeah, me too."

The teams parted ways, not knowing if they would ever see eachother again.

* * *

Claire held Peter's hand tightly as they began walking east.

Peter looked her over as they walked. She wore a white tank top, with green shorts. Her blonde curls were pulled into a ponytail. She looked adorable, and he smiled.

She looked over at him, catching him smiling. "What?"

He smirked. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how beautiful you are."

She grinned. "Oh yeah?"

He nodded.

She grinned. "You know, Matt told me he hopes we make it through this so we can…" Her cheeks turned pink.

Peter wasn't letting her off that easily. "So we can…what?"

She wouldn't meet his gaze. "_You know_…"

He feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you mean…"

She stopped, smacking his chest. "You're horrible. So we can…make love…"

Peter smiled softly, pulling her to him. He bent down, kissing her lovingly on the mouth. "I hope so too. I REALLY hope so."

Claire giggled, her cheeks still rosy.

Peter shook his head. "It's amazing how cute you are when you blush."

She reached up, kissing him again.

The kiss deepened as Peter slid his hands down to her waist. Claire's tongue pressed against Peter's lips, begging for entrance.

Peter pushed her away lightly. "Claire…"

She shook her head. "Peter, I don't want to never know. If something happens to one of us, I don't want to never be able to know what it was like."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "What _what _was like?"

Claire's hand moved to the buttons on his shirt. "What it's like making love with you."

Peter's mouth fell open. "Oh, Claire…"

He pulled her close, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Hey, hey look at me."

He pulled her face away from his chest, forcing her to look at him. "Nothing's going to happen to us. We'll take care of eachother, okay? We'll make sure we both get to feel what it's like."

He kissed her desperately.

A loud, evil laugh caused them to pull apart, as Claire was thrown roughly away from Peter.

"How touching. The two of you fell in love, didn't you? Too bad you'll have to watch eachother die."

Claire pulled herself up off of the ground, her hands shaking. "Sylar…"

* * *

Peter dove at Sylar, tackling him to the ground. "Claire, run for help!"

Sylar rolled them over, so he was straddling Peter. He pointed his finger at Peter's forehead, and blood began to trickle down Peter's face.

Claire ran towards them. "PETER!"

Sylar lunged at Claire, but she moved out of the way.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she took off running in the opposite direction.

Peter pushed himself up on his elbows, his wound beginning to heal itself. He saw Sylar flying rapidly towards Claire, and his heart nearly stopped. "NO!"

A splitting headache began to take shape, and he suddenly felt very warm. He saw Claire stop dead in her tracks, as Sylar pounced on her.

He squeezed his eyes shut, focusing as hard as he could on Sylar.

He heard Claire screaming, and his eyes flew open.

"Oh God!" He ran as fast as he could, and tackled the man to the ground.

Claire ran a few feet, and then turned around to see what was happening. What she saw made her heart stop.

Flames were shooting out of Peter's eyes, consuming his entire body.

She screamed, and Peter turned towards her. She clamped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, Peter!"

Sylar took advantage of Peter's distraction and swung back, hitting Peter with a vicious blow to the back of the head.

Peter fell to the ground again, and then picked himself up, turning towards Sylar. He lunged at Sylar, tackling him to the ground.

He rolled Sylar over, and concentrated as hard as possible on Sylar's powers.

Claire watched as Peter bore a hole into the back of Sylar's skull.

Suddenly, Sylar went limp. His body began to shake violently, and then his body exploded into a cloud of soot, ash, and blood.

Claire dropped to her knees. _He's gone. Sylar is gone._

The flames that consumed Peter began to subside, and he collapsed.

Claire pulled herself to her feet, running to him. She pulled his head into her lap. "You did it, Peter. You killed him. You saved me."

His eyelids fluttered. "Claire, if I don't…" His voice cracked, and Claire noticed for the first time the blood gushing out of his head, the blisters all over his body where the flames had been.

She covered her mouth, and tears trickled down her cheeks. "Oh, Peter…"

He was fighting to keep his eyes open. "I love you, Claire."

She shook her head sobbing. "I love you too. Peter, don't leave me!"

His eyes closed, his head lolling to the side. She put her head on his chest, and was comforted by the sound of his heart beating.

She grabbed the walkie-talkie strapped to her belt. "Matt, Nathan, come in! Please…"

Matt's voice crackled over the radio. "Claire? What's wrong?"

She pushed Peter's hair away from his forehead. "It's Peter. I think he's… I need help."

There was silence for a second, and then Nathan's voice came over the radio. "We're on our way, Claire. What about Sylar?"

Claire struggled to speak through her tears as she clung to Peter. "He's dead. Forever. Peter killed him."

* * *

Claire trailed close behind Nathan as he carried Peter to one of the many bedrooms. She was clutching Peter's hand possessively, knawing on her bottom lip until it bled.

Peter hadn't opened his eyes when Nathan and Matt had arrived at the scene, or when they boarded Nathan's private jet to fly back to New York, or even when they had arrived at Nathan and Heidi's house.

Nathan placed Peter carefully on the bed, and stepped back, letting Claire climb onto the bed next to him.

Nathan's heart ached for his brother, and for the young girl in front of him, clutching onto Peter's hand, trying to help him absorb her healing powers.

He watched as Claire bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to Peter's brow. She smoothed his bangs out of his face, and then laid her head down on his chest.

Nathan fought against the lump forming in his throat as he backed out of the room.

He walked the long hallway to his office, closing the door behind him.

He dropped to his knees, and for the first time in years, Nathan Petrelli prayed.

* * *

**_Review! Review! Review! Review! I shall most likely post at least one more chapter before I leave tomorrow. Again, I won't have internet access until Sunday, so I want to make up for it by updating a lot. _**


	11. Chapter 11

Claire sat up slowly as the first strands of sunlight streamed through the window.

She hadn't slept at all, her head and heart too full to rest.

She glanced down at Peter. He was still unconscious, and she felt the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks again.

She ran her hand along his cheek gently, shuddering at the sight of his blood-crusted skin, hair and clothes. She looked down at herself and noticed she didn't look so good either.

She sighed, taking one of Peter's hands in her two smaller ones. "Come on, Peter. Time to wake up. I need you… You need to heal. Take my powers, fix yourself. Please…" Her voice broke.

There was a soft knock on the door, and she wiped at her cheeks furiously. "Come in."

Matt's head appeared around the door. "Hey, any change?"

She shook her head sadly. "No."

Matt swallowed. "Is there anything I can do?"

Claire started to shake her head no, but then her head shot up. "Actually, can you carry him to the bathroom? I want to clean him up."

Matt nodded, fully entering the room. He walked over, lifting Peter without much trouble.

Claire led the way into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. She was thankful they'd come to Nathan's house. After Heidi ended up in a wheelchair, Nathan had paid big bucks to have all the showers made handicap accessible.

Matt propped Peter up on the sink, and Claire stripped him down to his boxers. "Just sit him in the shower; I'll call you when I'm done." Matt nodded, doing as she asked.

When the door had closed behind him, Claire stripped down to her bra and panties, climbing into the shower with Peter.

He was sitting on a built-in shower seat, his back propped up against the tiled wall.

She held the showerhead over his head, wetting his hair. She squeezed a glob of shampoo into her hands, rubbing it through his hair. She rinsed that out, and then did the same with conditioner.

As she wet a washcloth, she leaned down and kissed his mouth softly. "I love you. You know that, right? I love you so much… I'm never leaving you. No matter if you're like this the rest of your life, I'm never leaving you."

She squeezed some body wash onto the washcloth, rubbing it over his lanky body.

Claire almost chuckled. _If he wasn't unconscious, this might be sort of hot…_

She rinsed out the washcloth, and then held the showerhead over him again, rinsing the soapy lather off of his body.

She turned off the shower, and stood there, looking at the man she loved.

He was slumped against the wall, his eyes closed. He had a cut over his eye, and his wet hair was falling across his face.

She felt the warm tears as they dripped down her cheeks, but didn't bother to brush them away. She knelt in front of Peter, wrapping her arms around his waist, and sobbing.

She sat like that for a few moments, and just as she was about to stand up, she felt him move.

Her head jerked up and she watched as Peter's eyelids fluttered open. "Claire…" His voice came out as a croak.

She gasped, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him repeatedly.

Peter chuckled. "Claire, I…" He put his hands on her shoulders with some difficulty, pushing her back gently. "Claire, I need to breathe."

She put her hand over her mouth, laughing. "I'm sorry! Oh, you're awake!"

Tears spilled down her cheeks again, and she made no move to wipe them away. "You have no idea how much I love you."

He smiled wanly. "I think I have some idea…" He motioned for her to stand up, and then pulled her face down to his.

He kissed her fiercely, and when they parted, Claire smirked. "Apparently your weakness doesn't extend to your lips or tongue."

Peter smirked back at her, his eyes twinkling. "So, you want to tell me why we're showering together in wet underwear?"

Claire pushed her own wet hair out of her face. "I wanted to clean you up. Matt carried you in. MATT! Oh, he and Nathan will want to know you're okay!"

She hopped out of the shower, throwing a bathrobe over her wet underwear. She stopped in the doorway, and walked back to Peter.

She kissed him softly. "I love you." With that, she darted out of the room to find Nathan and Matt.

* * *

Peter ran a hand through his hair, and looked down at a still-sleeping Claire.

After Nathan and Matt had made a fuss over his awakening, he had sent them away. Claire hadn't slept at all the night before, he could tell.

He had pulled her onto the bed beside him, and she had fallen asleep, her head on his lap.

Peter let his gaze wander down her petite figure. She was _so _beautiful. He caressed her bare arm lightly, letting his fingers run over her soft, sun-kissed skin.

He tried to wrap his mind around the fact that she was _his_. That she was in love with _him_. He closed his eyes, murmuring a quick prayer of thanks that no harm had come to the woman he loved.

Peter couldn't remember much about what had happened with Sylar.

He remembered when Sylar had begun to slice his head open, and when he had told Claire to run, but after that, things got a bit fuzzy.

Nathan had told him that Sylar was gone for good, and if that was the case, he and Claire would never have to worry about anything ever again.

He felt Claire beginning to stir in his arms, and he smiled.

She looked up at him, and closed her eyes, sighing. "God, if I can wake up like that every morning for the rest of my life, I'll never want anything else."

Peter leaned down, pressing his mouth to hers. "I'm never, _ever _leaving you again. Never."

She smiled, sitting up and leaning her head on his shoulder. "So, where do we go from here? Can we go back to your loft in the city?"

Peter chewed his lip for a second, and then nodded. "If that's what you want."

She picked her head up to look at him. "Don't you want to go back?"

He shrugged. "Claire, I want whatever you want."

She raised an eyebrow, a seductive smile spreading over her face. "_Whatever _I want?"

He groaned. "Give me a few more days to get my strength back before we… do whatever you want."

She giggled, leaning up and kissing him sweetly. "I'm hungry. Stay here, I'm going to go get us breakfast."

Peter nodded, and as she hopped out of bed, he smacked her rear end playfully.

She whirled in surprise. "Oh, that's it Petrelli. You're dead."

He feigned shock. "Why, Ms. Bennet! You wouldn't attack a man who was incapable of defending himself!"

She raised an eyebrow, cocking her hip to one side. "There's more than one kind of torture, Peter."

He swallowed, unsure of what she meant.

Claire leaned down, thrusting her tongue into his mouth forcefully. Peter grunted. "Claire…"

She pulled back, smiling innocently.

Peter reached out, grabbing her around the waist, and pulling her back to the bed. He flipped them over so he was above her. She giggled as he put one hand on either side of head, one leg one either side of hers.

He looked down at her, and then his lips were on hers. She ran her hands over his abdomen, feeling his abs clench under her light touch. He slid one of his hands to her shoulder, then down to her ribcage, finally coming to rest just above the waistband of her panties.

He rubbed his thumb in tiny circles across her toned stomach, and she sighed contentedly into his mouth.

Peter pulled back, and Claire gasped. "What are you doing? Don't stop!"

He shook his head. "Claire, I'm not exactly in the best shape, here. Give me a few days to rest."

She sighed, rolling off the bed

. Peter reached out and grabbed her hand. "Claire, I really, _really _want to, but I want to do it right. Come on, don't you want me at my best for our first time?"

A cocky grin spread across his face and Claire shook her head incredulously. "You certainly have a lot of faith in your _abilities_, Peter."

He nodded. "With good reason, trust me."

Claire groaned. "If you don't want me to jump you, you'd better stop talking."

She leaned down, kissing him lightly, and Peter smiled when she pulled away. "Now, go get my food, woman."

She saluted, walking out the door and nearly slamming into Nathan.

He smiled down at the blonde girl. "How's our patient this morning?"

Claire rolled her eyes. "He's impossibly adorable."

Nathan chuckled as he watched the girl continue down the hallway.

He poked his head in the door. "Okay to come in, Pete?"

Peter nodded, motioning his brother in. Nathan sat down in a plush armchair next to the bed. "How are you feeling this morning? All I could get out of Claire was 'He's impossibly adorable.'"

Peter chuckled modestly, brushing his bangs away from his face. "I'm doing okay. The headaches are bad, but distraction kind of helps move them to the background."

Nathan nodded, folding his hands behind his head. "And I guess Claire is the distraction you're referring to?"

Peter ducked his head, his bangs falling in front of his face again. "I don't know what to do, Nathan. I'm totally in love with her, but I'm afraid."

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed. "Afraid of what?"

Peter looked up and Nathan saw the sorrowful look in his brother's eyes. "I completely lost control. Turned into what Isaac painted, a walking firebomb. I could have hurt Claire."

Nathan sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "Peter, you can't send her away again. It would kill her. Besides, you said you would never leave her again. If you break your promise, she'll never trust anyone ever again."

Peter nodded, sighing. "I know… I'm just… I don't know what to do. I'm scared of hurting her."

Nathan Sighed heavily. "Peter, you love her, she loves you. Deep down, you _know _you would never hurt her."

Peter nodded slowly, some of the worry draining from his face. "You're right."

Nathan smiled.

"Right about what?"

Neither man had noticed Claire enter the room.

Peter swallowed. "Nathan was just telling me how lucky I am to have you."

Nathan rolled his eyes, and Claire broke into a wide grin. "Oh, don't I know it. Here's breakfast for my patient."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Does that make you my nurse?"

She nodded. Peter crossed his arms over his chest. "Where's your uniform?"

Claire opened her mouth to speak, but Nathan cleared his throat loudly. "No offense, but I don't really want to hear you two talk dirty to one another, so I'm just going to leave. I'll be back to check on you later, Pete."

He left closing the door behind him, and Claire perched on the edge of the bed. She placed the breakfast tray on Peter's lap, and then sat watching him expectantly. "Well? Aren't you going to eat?"

Peter looked down at the oatmeal and juice that sat on his tray. "Claire, I'm not _sick_, I'm just weak. Can't I have bacon and eggs?"

She crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Nope. This is a perfect time for you to start eating healthier."

Peter sighed, and then had to smile at the blonde girl in front of him, arms crossed, cheeks rosy.

She raised her eyebrows. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Peter gave her that crooked grin of his. "I love you, Claire Bennet."

She gaped at him for a moment, before shaking her head and grinning. "You're still not getting bacon and eggs."

Peter frowned. "Damn."

* * *

**_So I'm leaving again this morning. I'll be back on Sunday to post more chapters. Disappointed? Don't be, you have one more chapter to read before you won't have any more until Sunday! Now, scurry! Go read the next chapter, and then tell me what you think by dropping me a review._**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Sooo, this chapter's rating is M. It's nothing to explicit, but I really don't want to get in trouble for anything. So if you're under 18, I'd suggest either skipping this chapter, or reading it at your own risk. You HAVE been warned!_**

* * *

It had been about a week, and Peter's strength was finally back.

For the first time, he was able to go downstairs and eat at the table with Claire and Nathan.

Heidi and the boys had gone to the Petrelli family's summer home in the Hamptons.

As he took his place at the table next to Claire, the doorbell rang.

Nathan rose with a smile on his face. "I'll get that."

Peter shot Claire a curious look, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

Nathan re-entered the room a moment later with a handsome Indian man at his side. "Peter, Claire, this is Professor Mohinder Suresh."

Claire's eyes widened. "The guy we talked to on the phone before we went after Sylar?"

Nathan nodded. "Professor, this is my brother Peter, and that's Claire Bennet."

The man smiled, extending his hand first to Peter, then Claire. "It's nice to meet both of you. I was glad to hear you made it through the ordeal."

Claire smiled affectionately up at Peter. "Thanks to Peter, we did. He saved me."

Peter ducked his head, a little embarrassed by Claire's complete adoration.

Nathan motioned for Mohinder to have a seat, and then excused himself to check on the status of dinner.

Mohinder sat down across from Peter and Claire, watching as Claire reached over, brushing Peter's bangs away from his face. Peter caught her hand, kissing her fingers lightly.

Mohinder's eyebrows rose. "Do you mind me asking…Are you two together?"

Claire smiled, nodding.

Suresh leaned forward eagerly. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Peter shrugged. "Fire away."

Mohinder nodded. "Stop me if it's too personal. Claire, your power is regeneration, correct?"

She nodded, indicating for him to continue.

"And Peter, yours is absorption of others' abilities."

Peter nodded.

Suresh leaned back in his chair, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two heroes. "How is it being intimate?"

Claire's mouth fell open, and her cheeks flushed.

Peter stuttered. "We…I…Uh…"

Suresh held up his hands. "I understand if it's too private, but it's not personal interest, it's for science."

Peter swallowed, and glanced at Claire. "We're not…We haven't been intimate yet."

Mohinder nodded. "Alright. I apologize if I embarrassed you. I'm planning on publishing a book about all my findings one day, and I'd like to have all bases covered."

Nathan walked back into the dining room then, and the conversation turned to Peter and Claire's battle with Sylar.

* * *

Claire unlocked the door to Peter's loft and pushed the door open.

Peter entered first, glancing around.

They were unsure of how they would find things, considering they hadn't been back since the night they jumped out the window. Apparently, the landlord had locked the door, and apart from an overturned chair and the bedroom door being slightly off the hinges, everything looked the same.

Claire sat her bags down and closed the door.

As she turned the lock, she felt Peter's arms wrap around her waist. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck, and moved his hands down to her waist. He turned her around slowly, kissing his way up her neck to her mouth.

Claire wrapped her arms around his neck, and then pulled away, frowning. "Peter, you have to be killing your neck every time you kiss me. Look how far you have to bend over."

He smiled down at her. "I don't mind."

She smirked. "Yeah, but I can't reach as well."

He laughed, and then lifted her lightly off the ground, placing her shoes on top of his.

She smiled. "But now I'm standing on your feet."

He shrugged. "Make up your mind. Hurt my neck, or make me immobile."

She leaned in, kissing him heatedly, and then pulled back. "This is better."

Peter brushed a strand of her silky blonde hair behind her ear. "I love you."

She gazed at him, and then nodded. "I love you too."

He kissed her, gently at first. Soon, things were growing more and more heated, and neither of them wanted to stop.

Peter lifted her easily, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

He walked blindly towards what he assumed was the bedroom, banging into furniture and shelves along the way. Claire smiled as he murmured curse words against her lips each time he hit something.

Finally, they made it to the bedroom, and he laid her gently down on the bed.

She gazed up at him trustingly, and her hands reached for his shirt. He helped her pull it over his head, and then undid his pants himself.

He kicked off his shoes, and she slid her feet out of her flip-flops. His fingers were gentle as he unbuttoned her shirt, and slid her mini skirt down past her ankles.

Their eyes never left each other's eyes, and Peter joined her on the bed, feeling himself begin to harden.

He moved his lips back to hers, his hands gliding over her beautiful, soft skin. He pulled back after a few moments, and sat up.

He was breathing so heavily, and Claire let her eyes wander down his body, her cheeks turning a pale shade of pink at the sight of the growing bulge in his pants.

Her eyes met his again, and he was surprised to see how dark they were. Claire felt the desire coiling in her stomach, and she pounced on top of Peter.

He was caught off-guard, and fell backward, with Claire straddling him. She reached around behind her, unclasping her bra.

Peter bit his lip, a low moan escaping his mouth. Claire felt his erection grow even harder beneath her, and smiled seductively down at him. "That's all I'm taking off until you're completely naked."

Peter's eyes flashed, and he was on top of her again in a second, before Claire even knew what was happening.

As Peter began to tug his boxers off, there was a loud commotion, and they heard the apartment door being opened.

Peter leapt off of Claire, slamming the bedroom door and leaning against it heavily.

Claire sat up, still naked from the waist up. "Who is it?" she whispered.

Peter raked his fingers through his hair, trying to focus on her face, not her beautiful, exposed breasts.

"It's Simone and Isaac."

Claire wrapped the sheet around herself. "Who's Isaac? And why are he and Simone here? And how did they get in?"

Peter closed his eyes, trying desperately to calm his body down, knowing he would have to go out and talk to them soon. "They got in with the extra key I keep on top of the doorframe, I'm assuming. Isaac is Simone's ex. He's also the artist who can paint the future. We owe a lot to him; he helped me find you in Texas."

Claire felt a smile spread across her face at the way Peter said "we".

He crossed to his dresser, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He yanked the pants on, and pulled the t-shirt over his head. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Simone about us…"

There was a soft wrap on the bedroom door, and Simone's voice came through the door. "Peter or Claire? You in there?"

Peter sighed, leaning down and kissing Claire softly. "Be out in one second, Simone."

Her footsteps echoed through the apartment as she walked into the kitchen, and Peter turned back to Claire.

"Give me about 5 minutes, and then come on out, okay?"

She nodded. "Peter, can I tell her about us? Please?"

He cocked his head to the side, giving her a strange look. "You're sure?"

She nodded, and he shrugged. "Okay."

He kissed her again, and the sheet she had wrapped around herself slid down around her waist.

He groaned, and Claire laughed.

"Claire, I think it's official. The universe doesn't want us to have sex."

She shrugged. "Too bad for the universe, because as soon as we get rid of Bonnie and Clyde out there, you're mine, Petrelli."

He closed his eyes, bit his lip, and took a deep breath. "Come on; give me something to calm me down here."

Claire tapped her finger against her chin, and then her face lit up. "John Travolta naked."

Peter whirled to face her, and then laughed. "Well, as disgusting as that mental picture was, I'm good to go out there now."

He kissed the top of her head, and then pulled back. "Do me a favor, put some clothes on before you walk out there. We need to tell Simone, but I don't necessarily want her to find out by seeing you wrapped in my sheets."

She nodded, and Peter left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**_So you probably thought they were FINALLY going to go all the way, huh? Sorry to disappoint, but BELIEVE me, it's coming soon enough. So there you go, the last chapter until Sunday. Review!_**

**_Next Chapter, Simone isn't a very happy camper..._**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Thanks for all the reviews! A few things to explain..._**

**_1. When I wrote about Peter absorbing Claire's powers, I didn't neccessarily mean that he drains people's powers. On the show, they've never addressed whether or not the people whose abilities he absorbs are affected in any way. I simply decided to say that Peter absorbing her powers fatigued her in some way. _**

**_I apologize if anyone thinks the story is getting too fluffy. Maybe I should warn you all, a lot of the rest of the story is pretty fluffy. If you choose not to continue reading, well that's your decison. _**

**_Also, I finished the story this week. So, for those of you wondering, yes, I DO know where this story is going! _**

**_Two chapters tonight, people! Read, Enjoy, Review!_**

**_

* * *

_**

Peter smiled tightly at Simone and Isaac as he emerged from the bedroom. "Hey, guys."

Simone leapt up from her chair, walking over and throwing her arms around Peter's neck. "You're back! Nathan said you would be."

Peter stood stiffly, not responding to her embrace, and she noticed.

She pulled away, clearing her throat. "Uh, we tried knocking and ringing the buzzer, but you didn't answer, so we let ourselves in. I thought maybe you two weren't back yet, I was going to leave this food in the refrigerator." She gestured towards half a dozen plastic Tupperware© containers on the kitchen counter.

Isaac walked over, extending his hand to Peter, and Peter shook it. "Nice to see you again, Peter. Simone said my paintings were useful?"

Peter nodded. "They helped me find and save Claire. We owe you everything."

Isaac ducked his head, embarrassed. "I'm just glad I could help. Where is the cheerleader?"

Simone leaned against the counter, crossing her arms. "Yes, where is that perky blonde you adore so much?"

Peter was just about to say something when the bedroom door opened again, and Claire emerged. She wore a tank top and shorts, her disheveled blonde hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes sparkling as if she knew a secret.

"Hey, Simone. And you must be Isaac, Peter says we owe a lot to you."

Simone flinched as she said it.

It was the same way Peter had said it. _"__We __owe you everything." "Peter says __we __owe a lot to you." _

Claire moved to stand next to Peter, gazing up at him affectionately.

Simone cleared her throat loudly. "Did you two eat dinner yet? There's enough food here to feed an army."

Peter tore his eyes away from Claire, looking at the containers of food. "No, and we're really hungry. Thanks for the food, Simone. It was nice of you to make all this."

She smiled, walking over to him and slipping her arm through his. "It was no trouble."

Peter shifted uncomfortably even as he saw Claire visibly tense at Simone touching him.

He removed his arm from her grasp as politely as possible, pulling out a chair for her, and then walking to the other side of the table and pulling one out for Claire.

Simone watched as he sat down next to Claire, his fingertips brushing her arm lightly.

She pinched herself inwardly, reminding herself of what Peter had told her just a few weeks ago. _"I don't expect you to understand, Simone. But protecting this girl is something I have to do. It's not negotiable." _What she was seeing was just the older brother mentality that Peter bestowed on most people he cared about, she was sure of it.

Isaac opened the still-hot containers, and passed them around the table.

Peter scooped some chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad on to his plate, and then onto Claire's.

She held up her hands after the second spoonful of potatoes. "Whoa, Peter. Do you want me to get fat?"

He looked at her incredulously. "You're freaking kidding me. You eat more than anyone I know!"

She punched his shoulder playfully as he handed the potatoes to Isaac. "I don't eat _that _much."

Peter grinned. "Oh yeah? What about the day we went swimming at the safe house? You ate four pancakes, two bowls of fruit, and then you made me make you oatmeal!"

She laughed, her ponytail swinging from side to side. "That was to try and distract you. That was the morning after you told me about your dreams, remember?"

He nodded. "And there I was thinking I needed to distract _you_. You cried us _both _to sleep that night."

Her face lowered as she looked down at her plate. "Yeah, well it wasn't a good week."

He chuckled.

Simone clanked her fork against her glass. "A toast?"

Peter looked around the table at everyone's glasses. "We're drinking water, Simone."

She shrugged. "Whoever said you could only toast with alcohol?"

Claire laughed, nodding. "You're right."

Isaac raised his glass. "To the safe return of Peter and Claire."

They clanked glasses, and Peter raised his again. "And to friends."

Again, their glasses clinked together, and Simone raised hers once more, as Peter and Claire were taking a sip. "And to love."

Peter and Claire both choked on their water, resulting in coughing fits.

Simone raised her glass a little higher. "The love of friends."

Peter and Claire's faces showed relief as Simone and Isaac sipped their drinks cluelessly.

Claire sat her drink down, and clutched Peter's hand tightly under the table. "Uh, speaking of love…"

Simone looked up, fork halfway to her mouth. "Peter and I have something we need to tell you."

Isaac rose to his feet. "I'll be going now. Simone, I'll talk to you later. Peter, Claire, nice to see you."

Peter stood, grabbing Isaac's arm. "You don't have to go, Isaac."

Isaac smiled slightly, whispering to Peter. "I painted you and Claire kissing this morning. I think it would be best if I left."

Peter nodded, his eyes not leaving Simone's face.

Claire felt Peter's hand squeeze hers tightly as he took his seat beside her again. Claire took a deep breath. "Simone, Peter and I have…well…We've developed feelings for eachother."

Peter bit his lip to keep from laughing. Claire sounded so grown up, so serious.

Simone lowered her fork to her plate, her eyes cloudy. "You mean "We're like brother and sister" feelings, or "We're doing it like bunnies" feelings."

Claire looked down at Peter's hand on her thigh. "Uh, well… We're definitely not like brother and sister, but we haven't exactly 'done it like bunnies' yet either."

Simone's gaze never moved from her plate. "When were you two planning on telling me?"

Peter sighed, looking over at Claire. "I don't know, Simone. I thought it was pretty clear that you and I didn't have anything. I mean, the one night we had together was after we'd both been drinking quite a bit."

Claire's head shot up, and she stared at Peter.

He gave her a 'Not now' look, and continued. "Claire and I, we've been through a lot together. More than most people go through in their entire lives, in fact. It wasn't long before we realized we loved eachother."

Simone nodded, and when she spoke, her voice was flat. "Thanks for telling me. I'm gonna go." She stood up, walking towards the door.

Claire stood up. "Simone, please don't go."

Simone turned back to them. "I can't be around you two right now. Give me some time okay? I hope you two are happy." She left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Claire sighed, leaning back against Peter's chest heavily. Then, she whirled around, smacking him across the face.

Peter clutched his face glaring at her. "What was that for?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "For not telling me you and Simone slept together."

He sighed. "Claire, it wasn't something that I thought to bring up. With everything that's been happening, me sleeping with someone I didn't even really care about didn't rank high up on my list of things to tell you."

She sighed, nodding. She closed her eyes, rubbing her hands over her face.

Peter looked down at her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Just a headache."

He smiled, and then lifted her easily into his arms.

She opened her eyes, looking up into his face. "What are you doing?"

He walked carefully into the bedroom and laid her on the bed, pulling the sheets up over her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Lay down while I finish cleaning up the dinner dishes, try and get rid of that headache."

She nodded, closing her eyes.

Peter stopped in the doorway, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. "Beautiful." he whispered.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14

**_Okay, this chapter, sex is discussed. Just a warning. I don't think it's anything that requires an M rating, but just don't wanna get in trouble._**

* * *

"Peter, I'm going out for a bit."

Peter's head poked out the bathroom door, a toothbrush dangling precariously from his mouth. "What do you mean you're going out?"

Claire pulled a jacket on, sweeping her hair out from under the collar. "I'm going shopping with Nikki."

Claire and Nikki had become fast friends, and Claire helped Nikki with trying to stay in control of Jessica.

Peter held up a finger, and his head disappeared for a minute. She heard him spit his toothpaste into the sink, and run water over the toothbrush before he emerged from the bathroom, shirtless and gorgeous. "Where are you going?"

Claire wrapped her arms around Peter's broad shoulders, tracing her fingers across the muscles rippling in his back. "Oh, here and there…"

She leaned in to kiss him, but he grabbed her waist, holding her away from him. "Claire, what's going on? Why won't you tell me where you're going?"

She gazed up at him innocently. "I would if I _knew_. Nikki wanted it to be a surprise."

It was the truth, and as Peter read her mind, he sighed. "Fine. You need money?"

She grinned. "Yes, please."

He pulled out of her embrace, and walked into the bedroom. He emerged a moment later, wallet in hand. He pulled out a good deal of money, handing it to her.

"Put it somewhere safe, this is still New York, after all."

Claire playfully tugged her collar down, sliding the money into her bra, and Peter groaned loudly. "Claire…"

She laughed, pulling the money out and putting it into her purse instead. "Thank you, Peter."

He nodded, leaning down and kissing her softly. "Have fun. I'm headed over to talk to Nathan; he thinks he might have a job opportunity for me."

Claire smiled, and then her smile faded a little. "So I guess I'll be spending more time alone, huh?"

Peter sighed, running his hands through her hair. "Claire, I need to start working again. I have money put away, but I need some means of income for us."

She nodded, laying her head against his chest. Peter was silent for a moment, before clearing his throat.

"Claire, what do you think about going to college?"

Her head jerked up and she gaped at him. Then, she shook her head no. "I never wanted to go to college."

Peter brushed his thumb across her cheek. "But Claire, we have to do something. You can't just sit in my loft for the rest of your life."

She nodded. "What about a job?"

Peter tilted his head to one side, and then nodded. "What kind of job would you want?"

She thought for a moment. "I always loved kids. Maybe something like at a daycare place or something…"

Peter smiled broadly. "I can just picture my Claire with a little kid clutching each leg, and one puking on your sweater…"

Claire frowned, smacking his chest. "They're not always gross and annoying. Sometimes they're cute and wonderful."

Peter smiled softly, kissing her forehead. "I know. I love my nephews to death."

He sighed, walking into the kitchen. "I'll talk to Nathan; see if there's anything he can find for you."

Claire smiled. "Thanks, Peter."

The buzzer sounded, and Claire smiled. "That'll be Nikki." She crossed to where Peter was standing, kissing him sweetly on the mouth. "What time will you be home, do you know?"

Peter glanced at the clock. "Probably around eight or eight-thirty tonight. You?"

Claire slung her purse over her shoulder. "Around five. I'll see you later."

She opened the door, and walked out, but stuck her head back in a moment later. "I love you."

Peter grinned. "I love you too, Claire."

* * *

Nikki tossed Claire a dress. "Here, try this on. It'll look great on you, it matches your complexion."

Claire smiled, adding it to her pile of things to try on.

Nikki sauntered over to her, and crossed her arms. "So I heard the little "I Love You" 's exchanged before you left."

Claire ducked her head, blushing a little. "Yeah. I've never felt anything like it before. Being in love is so…" She grasped for words to express her feelings for Peter. "Intoxicating. I feel silly around him, I can't think straight sometimes."

Nikki smiled. "I know the feeling. D.L. and I are still going strong, even after everything that happened with Jessica."

Claire nodded, moving to another rack of clothing.

Nikki joined her, and Claire noticed a growing smirk on her face. "What?"

Nikki grinned. "How's the sex?"

Claire's mouth fell open. "Nikki…"

Nikki raised her eyebrows innocently. "What? We're both women, here. Is he incredible?"

Claire was suddenly concentrating very hard on the hideous polka-dot skirt on the mannequin in front of her. "We haven't…" She sighed. "Peter and I haven't had sex yet."

Nikki dropped the dress she was holding, and the hanger clanked on the tiled floor. "WHAT?! That jackass hasn't fucked you yet?"

Claire gasped, looking around to make sure no one had heard what Nikki said. "Shhhhh! Nikki, it's no big deal."

Nikki picked up the dress, and then put her hands on her hips. "Yes it is a big deal, Claire. God, how long have you been living together?"

Claire sighed, shifting the clothes in her arms. "A few months. Look, we almost did it a week ago, but Simone and Isaac showed up, it kinda ruined the mood."

Nikki shook her head. "Damn..."

Claire sighed. "I'm going to the dressing room to try these on, I'll be right back."

Nikki sat down in a chair outside the dressing room, contemplating what she should say to Claire. As she did, a wicked grin spread across her face.

Claire emerged from the dressing room shortly, with a few items she had decided to purchase.

Nikki tugged on her arm. "Come on, let's go pay, there's one more store I want to take you to before we leave."

Claire nodded, glad that Nikki had decided to drop the subject of sex.

After they had paid, Nikki led the way to their last stop. "Here it is."

Claire glanced up at the name of the store, and she groaned. Victoria's Secret™.

Nikki tugged at her hand. "Come on. I want you to find something hot."

Claire sighed. "Why?"

Nikki shoved Claire lightly through the door of the lingerie shop.

"Because tonight, you are going to have sex with Peter Petrelli."

* * *

**_Okay, so I know they were both rather short chapters. But you know me, I update way too much for my own good. Review, and I shall post more tomorrow!_**

****

**_Next chapter, IT finally happens. And yes, it WILL be rated M._**


	15. Chapter 15

**_PLEASE NOTE; THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M! Yes, they go all the way in this chapter._**

* * *

Peter unlocked the door, stepping inside.

His hair was wet, clothes plastered to his skin. He had been caught in a downpour, and he wasn't too pleased about it.

He kicked off his shoes near the door, and looked around. Claire was nowhere to be seen.

"Claire?" He spotted some shopping bags on the counter, a clear sign she was home.

"In here." Her voice drifted from the bedroom.

Peter crossed to the bedroom, pushing the door open. What he saw made his jaw hit the floor.

Claire lounged on the bed, her toned body clothed only in a completely see-through red negligee and a lacy red thong. Her blonde hair fell in curls around her shoulders, her eyes sparkling darkly.

Peter opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to speak and failing miserably.

She sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Peter swallowed.

She stood up, and walked over to him, running a hand through his hair. "You're wet." she purred.

He nodded, managing a few words in a strangled voice. "Got caught in a rainstorm."

She nodded, sliding her hands under his sweater, running them over his defined abs. She felt his muscles clench under her touch, and swallowed. Nikki had told her to be aggressive, surprise him. His reaction so far said it was working.

She pulled the shirt over his head, and dropped it on the floor. She pressed a kiss to his neck, and then pressed a line of kisses down his chest, stopping just above the waistband of his jeans. His entire body shook violently, and she knew then just what kind of effect she had on him. She straightened to her full height, and unbuckled his belt, pushing his soaked jeans down to his ankles. He stepped out of them, as if in a trance, his eyes never leaving her face. She took hold of his hands, and placed them on her hips.

When he touched her, he seemed to snap out of his mesmerized state, and now it was his turn to take control.

He slid his hands up to her breasts, massaging them through the thin material of her negligee. Claire bit her lip, her eyes closing. Peter moved his hands down to the hem of the negligee, and pulled it over her head in one swift motion. He deposited it on a chair, and then his mouth crashed into hers.

His tongue tore her mouth apart, his teeth scraping across her bottom lip. She moaned into his mouth, and was suddenly very aware of his arousal pressing against her thigh. She would've blushed if she hadn't been so distracted by Peter moving his mouth to her neck. He kissed, licked, and even softly nipped at her neck with his teeth. She inhaled sharply, and suddenly she couldn't wait anymore.

She shoved him away roughly, causing Peter to think for a brief second that she had changed her mind. "Claire, we don't have to…" His words turned into a strangled cry of ecstasy as she yanked his boxers down and grabbed him. She ran her hands along his full length, feeling his body jolt sharply. He grabbed her hands, stilling her motions, and then he dropped her panties to the floor. He moaned so loudly, Claire thought the world must've been able to hear him. He lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. The feeling of her slick folds against his waist was almost more than he could bear.

They tumbled roughly onto the bed and Peter thrust himself inside of her. Claire made a low, choking noise in the back of her throat, and then screamed as he thrust into her roughly.

She clung to him, her nails scraping across his back and drawing blood, but she knew the wounds would instantly heal. She pulled his mouth to hers again, and rocked her hips against his, begging for him to thrust even harder. Peter obliged willingly.

Peter wasn't sure how long it was before he gasped and then let out a choked scream as she came. She panted heavily, and then looked up at Peter. Their eyes locked, and she whispered "I love you." Peter came then, too.

They lay in each other's arms, breathing heavily. Claire wiped Peter's still-damp hair away from his forehead, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Thank you."

He shook his head. "No, thank _you_."

He rolled back on top of her, kissing her ferociously, and Claire smiled.

_Ladies and Gentleman, Round Two Is About To Begin_.

* * *

Claire stirred, picking her head up off of Peter's chest. She eased herself slowly off of him, and stood. She looked him over as she stood beside their bed.

She grinned, and walked over to the dresser, pulling out one of Peter's clean button-down shirts. She buttoned it up, and walked quietly out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Once outside the bedroom, she leaned against the door, sighing.

She thought back to the night before, and the record eight times that she and Peter had made love.

She felt her cheeks growing a tad warm, and giggled softly.

She practically skipped into the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients for waffles. She hummed as she worked, and finally had a huge stack of waffles ready. She placed them on the table with some syrup, and added a pitcher of orange juice and two glasses to the setting. She nodded approvingly at the spread, and then walked back to the bedroom.

She pushed the door open, and saw Peter still lying sound asleep in bed. Claire smiled at the adorable look on his face, and the fact that his bags hung in his face even in his sleep.

She climbed back onto the bed, and kissed him softly on the lips, brushing his hair behind his ear. "Hey you…"

Peter's eyes fluttered open, and that crooked smile of his immediately spread across his face. "PLEASE, tell me that last night wasn't a dream."

Claire grinned widely. She grabbed one of his hands, and slid it under the button-down. "Look Ma, no pants."

Peter laughed, running his hand across Claire's bare thighs. He kissed her lovingly. "That was the most incredible night of my life, Claire."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Mine too. I see now why you were so confident in your 'abilities', Peter."

He chuckled, and then sniffed the air. "Is that…Waffles?"

She nodded, hopping off the bed and tossing him a clean pair of boxers. "Come get it, big boy."

He groaned as she walked out of the room, her blonde curls bouncing.

* * *

Over breakfast, Claire asked Peter about his meeting with Nathan the day before. "How'd it go?"

Peter wiped his mouth with a napkin. "He offered me a job as a campaign adviser. Great benefits and a six-figure salary."

Claire's mouth fell open. "Are you kidding me?"

Peter shook his head with a grin. "AND, how would you like a job baby-sitting my nephews?"

Claire's eyes lit up. "Oh, really? Peter that would be great!"

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Great, I'll let Nathan know. Heidi wants to take on a bigger role in Nathan's campaign, and the boys loved you when you were there."

Claire's eyes danced. "Could things get any better?"

Peter looked down at his plate, and Claire's eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

He lifted his gaze to her. "My mom called, and Nathan blabbed to her about you. Now she wants to meet you."

Claire blanched, and she swallowed. "Uh…Okay. How bad can it be, right?"

Peter smiled tightly. "You've obviously never met Angela Petrelli."

* * *

**_Well, there ya go. I tried not to make it TOO smutty... You have another chapter to read, so scurry!_**


	16. Chapter 16

Claire fussed with her hair, piling it up on top of her head, and then letting it fall back down to hang loosely over her shoulders. "Peter?"

He appeared in the bedroom doorway, his dress shirt unbuttoned, clutching a handful of ties. "What?"

Claire pulled her hair up, and then let it fall back down again. "Up or down?"

Peter cocked his head to the one side, then the other. "Leave it down."

She nodded, pointing to a black tie with silver stripes. "That one."

He grinned. "Now _you're _the mind reader, eh?"

She grinned, and followed him back into the bedroom. She walked to the closet, pulling out a dress she'd purchased on her shopping trip with Nikki. She held it up. "Is this okay to meet your Mom?"

She held it up against her body, and Peter nodded in approval. "It's pretty. It matches your eyes."

She smiled, nodding. She untied her bathrobe, tossing it over the back of a chair, and tugged the dress on.

She walked over to Peter. "Zip me up?"

He nodded, helping her with the long zipper on the back of the dress.

When he had finished, she turned around, kissing him lightly on the mouth, before straightening his tie. "I'm so nervous, Peter. Do you think she'll like me?"

Peter smiled at the apprehensive look on Claire's face. "Probably not."

Claire's eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.

He laughed, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "My Mother hates everyone. You should have seen her reaction the first time Nathan brought Heidi home to meet the family. I though she was going to have an aneurism."

Claire sighed, finishing with his tie, and lowered her eyes.

Peter lifted her chin"Hey, I don't care what my battle-ax Mother says. I love you, and nothing is going to change that. Got it?"

Claire nodded, and he leaned in, kissing her tenderly.

Claire glanced at the clock. "I just need to do my makeup, and then we should go. We don't want to be late."

Peter nodded, grabbing his suit jacket.

* * *

Peter looked sympathetically at Claire.

She had hardly eaten anything the entire lunch, and no wonder. His mother hadn't stopped glaring at her across the table.

Angela dabbed at her mouth daintily with a napkin. "So, Miss Bennet, how long have you and my son been living together?"

Claire glanced helplessly at Peter. "Uh…About seven months. I needed a place to stay, and Peter offered."

Angela nodded. "And how long before you were sleeping together?"

Peter stood up, slamming his hands down on the table. "Mom! Stop it. Claire is a human being; you don't get to interrogate her like this."

Angela waved her hands dismissively. "Peter, sit down. You must control your temper. Your brother never lets _his_ temper get the better of _him_."

Heidi snorted, and Angela shot her a disapproving look. "I'm simply curious. Whether you like it or not Peter, you dating this…this _girl_, has an impact on your brother's campaign. She will have to appear at functions, and she has to know her place."

Claire looked down at her plate, and then up at Angela. "Mrs. Petrelli, with all do respect, shouldn't Nathan be telling me these things? It _is __**his**_ campaign. I understand that dating Peter means that I'll have to appear in public. I know how to act like a civilized human being. My parents taught me manners, took me to church every Sunday, taught me how to carry on a conversation."

Peter couldn't help but grin at the way Claire stood up to his Mother.

Angela looked slightly taken aback, but then nodded. "As long as you understand that just because you're dating my son, it doesn't mean I have to approve."

Claire smiled. "Oh don't worry, the feeling is mutual I'm sure."

Peter glanced across at Nathan who was trying valiantly to suppress a smile.

Heidi cleared her throat, glancing over at her two young sons. "Dessert anyone?"

* * *

Peter leaned against the doorframe, watching Claire play with his two young nephews.

Heidi sat close to the fireplace, chatting quietly with Angela.

Nathan joined Peter, leaning against the opposite side of the doorframe. "Well, that went better than I expected."

Peter smirked at his older brother. "God forbid I ever be happy."

He watched as Claire pulled one of the boys onto her lap, pressing a kiss to his forehead, and tickling him.

She looked so out of place in the room of dark-haired, dark-eyed Petrelli's. Her blonde hair and bright green eyes set her apart from the rest, making her look even more beautiful.

Nathan looked at his brother closely, and then smirked. "You really love her, don't you?"

Peter nodded, his eyes never leaving Claire. "More than I ever thought I could love anyone."

Nathan smiled, crossing his arms. "You get laid yet?"

Peter turned to face Nathan, and grinned, shaking his head. "What is it with this family wanting to know if Claire and I have slept together? First Mom, now you."

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know why Mom wants to know, but I noticed something different about you two. You seem closer than before, and I didn't think that was possible."

Peter smirked, turning back to watch Claire. "Sounds like you just answered your own question."

Nathan chuckled. "Sounds like I did. Listen, I have a big fundraiser at the Excelsior Hotel on Friday. I want you and Claire to be there so I can formally introduce her to the public."

Peter nodded.

Nathan ran a hand through his hair. "You both have to understand, _she _has to understand, after you two appear in public together, you're going to become a paparazzi target. The press is constantly trying to get me to screw up, to dig something up on me. You're a part of that, and once Claire is exposed to those reporters, they're going to go nuts."

Peter nodded. "I'll talk to her."

Nathan looked relieved. "Good."

He patted his brother on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you, Pete. You know that, right?"

Peter smiled, nodding. "Thanks Nathan."

* * *

**_There You Go! Drop me a review, let me know what you think. You guys really don't even know how much I appreciate your reviews! I love reading them! Be nice, and I may post more later tonight!_**


	17. Chapter 17

**_Okay, so just as a side note, this story is AU(alternate universe). Therefore, Peter and Claire are NOT related. Okay, everybody understand now? Good, on with the story._**

* * *

Claire slipped her hand into Peter's as they stepped out of Nathan and Heidi's.

"Well, what did you think of my Mom?"

Claire placed her hands on her hips, and raised an eyebrow at Peter. "Oh, you mother is just the most _wonderful_, kind, caring, lovely person I've ever met. I want her to be my new best friend, so we can braid each other's hair and paint each other's nails. I should make her a friendship bracelet! I wonder if…"

Peter held up his hands, trying to control his laughter. "Okay! Stop, I get it. My mom is horrible, I get it."

Claire grinned, wrapping her arms around Peter's neck. "Yes, she's pretty bad. But, I can tell that she loves her sons."

Peter nodded. "Sometimes a little too much."

They slid into one of Nathan's limos, and Peter gave the driver their address.

Claire laid her head on Peter's shoulder, and he smiled down at her. "The boys wear you out?"

She nodded. "Yeah…"

He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Hey, there's a big benefit dinner/dance thing at the Excelsior this Friday for Nathan's campaign. He wants us both there."

Claire picked her head up, staring at him. "And what will your mother think of me being there?"

Peter smirked. "Who cares? It's not her campaign. Nathan wants us there. He said he's going to formally introduce you to the public."

Claire's eyes widened. "Wow, remind me to get a new dress."

Peter smiled. "I'm sure Nikki can help in that department. Claire, we have to be on our guard after this. Nathan says that once you're introduced to the press as my girlfriend, there are going to be paparazzi and photographers on our tails. Newspapers are trying everything within their power to dig up some kind of dirt on Nathan to discredit him."

Claire nodded solemnly.

* * *

Claire gasped as they pulled up in front of the Excelsior.

A large red carpet had been rolled out, and was lined with hundreds of photographers and reporters.

"Holy shit, Peter! It looks like a movie premiere or something!"

Peter clasped her hand. "New York Congressman is a big deal election. There are lots of celebrities at these things. I always felt uncomfortable."

Claire nodded. "I can see why. Oh God, Peter. My stomach is in knots!"

He kissed her cheek. "You'll be great. Just picture them all in their underwear."

Claire busted out laughing just as someone opened the door of their limo and Peter was pulling her out.

The flashbulbs were blinding, and for a moment, Claire's fears overcame her and she froze.

Peter's reassuring hand on the small of her back brought her back to reality. He leaned in, whispering in her ear. "Underwear."

She began to laugh again, and he kissed her gently on the lips.

The flashbulbs continued, and people began to shout Peter's name. They posed for a few photos before Peter kissed her cheek once more and gave a little wave, tugging her into the hotel.

Claire looked stunned as they stopped just inside the door. "Jesus…is that what it's always like? I'll be blind for a year!"

Peter chuckled. "It's not always that bad. They were out in full force tonight. Just wait until they're let into the building."

Claire groaned. "They're allowed inside?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah. Most of them are restricted to the press room, but a few who work out special deals with Nathan's camp get to stake out the ballroom."

Claire sighed. "So, where do we go from here?"

Peter glanced at his watch. "Nathan should be arriving with Heidi any minute. I guess we go schmooze with the celebrities and politicians in the ballroom until then."

He paused, leaning in and kissing her sweetly. "Have I mentioned how phenomenally gorgeous you look tonight?"

Claire blushed.

Nikki had helped her pick out a pale green dress. It was strapless, and fell just below her knee. She had paired it with white heels and at Peter's request had left her silky blonde hair to hang down around her shoulders, pulling it back away from her face with a white headband.

Claire tugged at the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. "You don't look so bad yourself." She pulled him in, kissing him ardently.

Someone clearing their throat, caused them to break apart, and they saw Nathan and Heidi watching with amused expressions.

Claire blushed again, turning her attention to Heidi. "You look beautiful, Heidi."

Heidi ducked her head. "Thank you! Your dress is beautiful."

Claire smiled warmly at the older woman.

Peter's eyebrows furrowed when he looked at Nathan. "You look a little green around the gills, Nathan."

Nathan rubbed his hand over his face. "Just a little nervous. Hey, you two are sitting at our table, so you'll walk in with us."

Peter nodded, wrapping his arm around Claire's waist.

Nathan waited as Heidi turned her wheelchair around, and then clasped her hand.

The hotel attendants opened the ballroom doors, and they heard loud applause begin.

As they entered the ballroom, more flashbulbs went off, and the applause continued as they took their seats.

Peter glanced over at Claire who was looking a little faint. He placed his hand on her knee under the table. "They'll be bringing out the food soon, and after we eat, they bring out the band and people can get up and dance."

Claire's face lit up. "You _have _to dance with me! Promise!"

Peter groaned. "Claire, I can't dance…"

She shook her head. "_Everyone _can dance, Peter."

He shrugged. "If you want to risk your feet getting stepped on, then I guess I'll dance with you."

Claire clapped her hands. "Yay!"

Waiters entered just then, setting the first course in front of the diners.

Peter lifted his fork to his mouth just as he heard more applause, and looked to see his mother making her grand entrance. He rolled his eyes, leaning over to Claire. "Fashionably late as always."

Claire muffled a laugh.

* * *

Claire glanced down at her hands, which were carefully folded in her lap.

Peter had gone to talk to some politician he had gone to high school with. She sighed, glancing over at Angela Petrelli. She was engaged in an animated conversation with the governor of New York, and looked very much in her element.

Claire felt so out of place. She had plastered on a fake smile when Nathan had introduced her to a bunch of elderly politicians and campaign managers.

Just then, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned, and Peter's warm smile met her. "I believe I owe you a dance."

She smiled genuinely, and nodded, taking his proffered hand.

He led her out onto the dance floor, wrapping his arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck. They swayed back and forth to the music, simply looking at each other affectionately.

Claire leaned up and kissed him softly, pulling back and looking at him. "You lied. You _are _a good dancer."

Peter shook his head. "This kind of dance I can do. It's the fast, bump and grind dances that people do at nightclubs that dumbfound me."

Claire grinned. "I could show you later…"

Peter closed his eyes and moaned. "Please, stop. It wouldn't be good for me to jump you in the middle of Nathan's fundraiser."

She giggled, and kissed him again just as the song ended.

Nathan hurried up to them. "Peter, Claire, I need you two in the press room, it's showtime."

* * *

Nathan held up his arms, calling for quiet in the sea of reporters and photographers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here, tonight. As you may know, my name is Nathan Petrelli, and I'm running for Congressman of New York."

Thunderous applause filled the room. Nathan held up his hands again, and the room quieted down.

"I appreciate the support of each and every one of you. I'd like to introduce you to some people who are playing a hugely important role in my campaign. First and foremost, they say 'behind every good man is a great woman', and I am no exception. My wife, Heidi Petrelli."

Heidi wheeled forward slightly, waving as a steady stream of flashbulbs went off.

Nathan continued. "The brains behind my campaign, Howard Sanders." An older man with a mustache waved, and still more flashbulbs went off.

Nathan cleared his throat. "And for those of you who don't know, this is my brother Peter, and his girlfriend Claire Bennet."

Peter pulled Claire to her feet, and they waved politely. Dozens and dozens of flashes went off, as photographers clamored to get a good shot of the attractive young couple.

Nathan again motioned for silence. "I'd like to thank you all again for being here, and remember; Vote Petrelli!" The room cheered, and Nathan flashed his trademark smile.

Claire leaned over to Peter. "He's so…fake around these people. So unlike the Nathan I know."

Peter nodded. "Few politicians are anything _but _fake in public. But Nathan would be a great leader, and a lot of people know that. Hey, there's George Clooney."

Claire squealed, and immediately, a good portion of the room turned to look. She reddened, and Peter laughed quietly, ushering her out of the room.

"Don't tell me you have a crush on George Clooney."

Claire grinned. "Maybe…But don't worry, one man holds my heart."

Peter snorted and rolled his eyes. "That was so corny."

Claire placed her hands on her hips. "Guess who's not getting any tonight."

She grinned, walking away, with Peter hot on her heels.

* * *

Claire woke up to find Peter's side of the bed empty.

She groaned. "Peter Petrelli you'd better have one hell of a reason why you're not in bed with me."

She hopped out of bed, and pulled a baggy t-shirt and panties on. Despite her statement to Peter the night before that he wouldn't get any, they had made love for hours when they had gotten home.

She padded into the living room to find Peter reading the newspaper, his feet propped up on the coffee table. That crooked smile of his lit up his face when he saw her.

Claire curled up against him on the couch, laying her head on his shoulder. "Morning, Tiger."

Peter laughed, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her lips. "Good Morning."

He held up the newspaper. "We made the front cover of the society page."

Claire screeched. "WHAT?! The front page?"

Peter chuckled. "The _society _page, but yes."

Claire scanned the newspaper. Sure enough, a large picture of she and Peter from Nathan's benefit was on the front page. A brief article accompanied the photo.

**Nathan Petrelli hosted a campaign fundraiser last night at the Excelsior Hotel.**** The event raised over a million dollar for Petrelli's campaign, and many celebrities including George Clooney and Barbara Streisand were in attendance.**** But the highlight of the evening was Petrelli's brother Peter and his girlfriend, Claire Bennet.**** The couple make an astonishingly attractive pair. Bennet's blonde hair and green eyes are a stark contrast to a family of dark haired, dark eyed Petrellis. ****Peter looked dapper in a tailored tuxedo, and Claire nearly took our breath away in a pale green strapless dress. ****The young couple seemed very affectionate, with Peter rarely leaving her side. They shared a dance, and were spotted kissing throughout the night.**** You'll remember that this very paper printed a story quite a few months back about Peter being spotted with a beautiful young blonde. It appears the mystery as to who she was has been solved. With the election close at hand, it will be interesting to see if the younger Petrelli brother and his lovely companion make more public appearances.**

Claire looked up from the paper with a smile. "Not bad at all. Although, I would've used a different word to describe you in your tuxedo."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

Claire tapped her finger to her chin. "Hmm… Hot. Gorgeous. Sexy."

Peter grinned, silencing her with a kiss. He pulled back, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. "What do you say to going out for breakfast? Maybe going shopping afterwards?"

Claire closed her eyes and moaned. "Oh, honey. You just used two of my three favorite words. Food, and shopping."

Peter chuckled. "What's the third favorite word?"

Claire traced a finger down his chest. "Use your imagination, honey."

Peter groaned loudly. "Please, go get dressed. Please. Otherwise, we'll never get to breakfast."

* * *

Peter wrapped his arm around Claire's waist as they stepped out into the warm New York sunshine.

She smiled up at him. "So, where are you taking me?"

He smiled. "There's a café a few blocks down. They have great coffee, and I've heard the breakfast sandwiches are good."

Claire nodded. "Sounds good."

She turned her face up to the sun, enjoying the warmth on her face.

Peter watched her, a smile spreading over his face.

The sun glinted off her blonde hair, which gave off the sweet smell of strawberries and vanilla. He let his eyes wander down her body slowly. She wore a clingy, pale yellow sundress and white heels. Her makeup was natural, just a thin layer of lip gloss.

He stopped, jerking her to a halt with him.

She looked up, confused. "Peter, what…" He cut her off with a kiss.

Claire's head spun, the way it always did when Peter kissed her.

His hands slid down to her waist, as she tangled a hand in his hair.

A whistle rang out from a passing car, and a few gasps could be heard from people walking past.

Peter pulled away gently. "I love you. And not just because you're gorgeous."

Claire smiled up at him. "And I love you, and not just because _you're _gorgeous."

Peter pushed their foreheads together.

"I think you're in trouble, Peter."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And why is that?"

She grinned. "I think I've got you whipped."

He shrugged. "Well if being whipped means I get to come home to you every night and hear you say you love me, then I think I can take it."

Claire sighed. "Yup, definitely whipped."

* * *

**_(sigh) I've done it again, dear readers. I'm posting another chapter after this. I know, I know. I update too much... Well? What are you waiting for? Go read it!_**


	18. Chapter 18

Claire cracked an egg, listening to the satisfying sizzle as it hit the skillet. She hummed as she prepared breakfast for herself and Peter. It was early, not quite seven A.M. Peter had to be at work in a few hours, and she had to be at Nathan's to watch Simon and Monty at ten. She dished out two helpings of bacon and eggs, adding extra bacon to Peter's plate. She sat the skillet in the sink to be washed later, and poured two glasses of juice just as Peter emerged from the bathroom, his hair wet from his shower. He smiled. "I thought we were eating healthier?" Claire snorted. "After a week of granola and fat free milk, I'm ready to be un-healthy again." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you, it looks great." She smiled. As they sat down to breakfast, there was a sharp rapping on the door. Claire sighed. Standing up and walking over to the door, she threw it open. Her mouth fell open. "Oh my God…" Her father stood in the doorway, a hesitant smile on his face. "Hi, Claire-bear." Peter walked up behind her. "Who is it Claire?" His mouth fell open. "Oh, God." Noah Bennet's face betrayed his shock when he saw Peter. "You?" Claire sighed. "You'd better come in, Dad."

Claire sat down next to Peter on the couch across from her father. Bennet

took a sip of his coffee, and then looked up at Claire. "You look great,

sweetheart. Your mom and Lyle and I have really missed you." Claire sighed,

looking over at Peter. "Dad, you have to know why I left. You were trying to

erase my memory, make me forget everything." Bennet looked into his coffee

mug. "Claire-bear, I was trying to protect you. I was afraid that man would

come after you again." Peter looked up. "Sylar's dead. I killed him myself."

Bennet's mouth hung open. "You killed him?" Peter nodded. "I had to. He

came after me." Bennet shook his head. "Claire, you've been here in New York

with him this entire time?" She nodded. "With the exception of a week or

two when we were hiding out in Las Vegas, and a couple of days I spent at

his brother Nathan's." She bit her lip trying to figure out how to say what

she had to say next. She reached over, and clutched Peter's hand.

"Dad, there's something else, too." Bennet looked up, and then caught sight

of his daughter's hand intertwined with Peter's. "You…Claire…" His voice was

stern, angry. "He's too old for you!" Claire laughed bitterly. "And you're one

to talk? Mom is five years younger than you." Bennet shook his head.

"Five years. Not…not…" He sighed, looking up at Peter. "How old are you?"

Peter smirked a little. "Twenty six." Bennet sighed. "That's eight years,

Claire." She nodded. "I know, Dad. But I fell in love with him. I can't help who

I love." She said it with a particularly bitter tone, and Bennet knew it was

directed towards him. "Claire, I never meant to hurt you. You know I only wanted to protect you!" She stood up, her eyes blazing. "Then you hire a security guard, you tell me not to leave the house. You _don't _try to erase my memory." He put his head in his hands. "I know that now, Claire." Claire tightened her grip on Peter's hand. "Did you have someone try to break into our apartment a few months back?" Noah's eyes widened. "Of course not, Claire-bear!" "You know what's sad? I can't even tell when you're lying anymore." she spat. Peter stood up, wrapping his arm around her waist. "I think it would be best if you left now, sir." Bennet's head shot up. "But, I…" Claire crossed her arms. "Leave, Dad." Bennet rose slowly to his feet, and walked over to the door. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. "I love you, Claire. I hope you're happy." He turned his tearful gaze to Peter. "Take care of her." Peter nodded, and he felt Claire tremble. "Dad…" Bennet whirled around again. Claire bit her lip. "Tell Mom and Lyle I love them." He nodded, walking out and closing the door behind him. Claire turned to face Peter, and he saw the tears begin to roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Claire. I know that was hard." She nodded, burying her face in his chest. He smoothed his hand over her hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She sighed after a few moments, picking her head up. She glanced at the clock and let out a curse. "We're both really late for work." He nodded. "I called Nathan, told him we needed a personal day. He understood." She lowered her head back to Peter's shoulder. "I could just stand like this forever. Just you and me, holding eachother…" Peter pressed a kiss to her hair. "I know what you mean. So, Claire-bear huh?" She groaned. "I always hated that. If I ever hear you calling me that, no more sex. Ever." Peter chuckled. "Well, I can't risk that." He lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "Well, as hard as it was to face your dad, I think we're done now. I think we're through with the difficult situations and disapproving family members." Claire giggled, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. "I hope so. We've been through so much… But what else could possibly go wrong?"

Claire collapsed onto the sofa in Nathan's family room. It had taken over an hour to get Simon and Monty to bed, and she was exhausted. She glanced at the clock. "Only nine o'clock?" She groaned. Nathan and Heidi weren't scheduled to be home from their big function until midnight. She flipped on the TV, clicking through the hundreds of channels without really paying attention to what was on them. She missed Peter terribly. With the election approaching in a few weeks, he and Nathan had both been putting in endless hours at campaign headquarters, revising speeches, planning strategies, all that political mumbo-jumbo. She barely saw him anymore. He would leave early in the morning, before she was up, leaving behind a sweet note, a rose, or some other token of his affection, and would return each night after she was already asleep. Once in a while, she would wait up for him, and they would eat a quiet dinner together before falling into bed, completely exhausted. She missed their days of simply watching a movie together, their nights of endless lovemaking. She sighed, turning the TV off. Suddenly, she felt something graze her arm. She turned to look, but nothing was there. She shrugged, picking up a magazine. Again, she felt something touch her, this time, on her cheek. She turned around again, but still, nothing was there. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Damn bugs." She stood up, walking over to close the open window. She walked out onto the patio, the chilly night air causing goose bumps to appear on her bare arms and legs. She shivered, and then all of the sudden, someone wrapped their arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. She jumped, and whirled around, only to see Peter materializing out of thin air. She threw her arms around his neck with a squeal, and he laughed. "I've missed you, Claire." He pressed a kiss to her hair, twirling her around the patio. She pulled back. "What are you doing off so early?" Peter grinned widely. "I told Nathan that if I didn't get some time off to spend with my girlfriend, he was going to be running his campaign alone." Claire giggled, wrapping her legs around Peter's waist as he moved them over to a cushioned bench. He kissed her mouth gently, and she smiled. "I've missed you too. You picked a perfect time, though. If you had showed up ten minutes earlier, Simon and Monty would _never _have gone to bed. You know how much they love their Uncle Peter." Peter chuckled, tangling a hand in her wavy blonde hair. "Yes, I do. I'll make sure I see them before I leave tomorrow." Claire's face fell. "You're leaving again? Where are you going this time?" Peter had been accompanying Nathan all over the country, meeting possible political allies. If the polls in the newspaper were accurate, Nathan would win by a landslide, and already having friends in various states would be an invaluable asset. Peter grinned. "The Bahamas." Claire's eyebrows shot up. "Who could possibly be in the Bahamas that you and Nathan need to impress?" He shook his head. "I'm not going for business. You and I are going for vacation." Claire squealed, throwing her arms around Peter's neck. "Oh, Peter! But can Nathan spare you?" Peter nodded. "He'll be staying instate for the next couple of weeks, so he said I could have the time off." Claire's eyes shone. "So we're leaving tomorrow?" Peter nodded again, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Claire tapped her finger to her chin. "I'll have to pack…" Peter grinned. "Nope. I already packed for both of us. Our suitcases are by the front door." Claire laughed, shaking her head. "You're amazing." He nodded. "And don't you forget it." She captured his lips with hers, her hands sliding down his chest. He wrapped his hands around her waist, his tongue gliding into her mouth. He moved his mouth to her neck, and she gasped in pleasure. He kissed his way down her neck, to her shoulders. He pulled her tank top over her head, dropping it to the ground beside the bench. He kissed his way down her shoulders, and then slid his tongue over the skin her bra didn't cover. Claire slid her hands under his shirt, up his back, scraping her fingernails down his back roughly. He moaned, and her hands moved to his belt. His pants were soon on the ground, soon followed by his shirt, her skirt, and her bra and panties. Peter's mouth was everywhere, and Claire writhed underneath him, his tongue nearly driving her insane. When she wrapped her hands around him through his boxers, he fully hardened. She tugged at his boxers. "Off, Peter." He obliged, tossing them blindly over his shoulder. She lay back, waiting for him to enter her, and he soon did what she wanted. She bit down on his shoulder to keep from screaming, leaving a bite mark that immediately healed. He pounded into her, his mouth on hers the only thing muffling her screams. Claire ran her hands over his body aimlessly, his hands focused on her breasts. Claire clung to him helplessly as he thrust into her as hard as he could, sending both of them over the edge. Peter smoothed her sweat-soaked hair away from her face, kissing her mouth tenderly. "I've missed _that_, too." She giggled, raking her fingers through his hair. "Yeah, me too." She ran a hand over his jaw. "You were incredible, Peter." He smiled down at her, clasping her hand. "You weren't so bad yourself." She blushed, and then sighed. "Promise me there will be plenty more of _that _on vacation." He grinned down at her. "Oh, I promise." She giggled again, and Peter rolled off of her. He pulled his boxers on, and his white t-shirt, tossing Claire her tank top and skirt. They re-entered the house, hands clasped, just as Nathan wheeled Heidi through the front door. Claire glanced over at the clock. "We…Did we…Wow." Peter raised an eyebrow. "What?" She grinned up at him. "We went at it a lot longer than I thought." He chuckled, as Nathan and Heidi entered the room. Heidi took in their disheveled appearance, and Peter clutching his pants in one hand, and Claire's hand in the other. She chuckled. "Looks like you two found a way to amuse yourselves." Claire lowered her head, her cheeks coloring. "The boys were asleep, I promise." Heidi nodded. "I believe you." Nathan rolled his eyes. "You two just go at it like bunny rabbits, don't you? It amazes me Claire hasn't gotten pregnant yet." Peter scoffed. "We're always sa…" He and Claire exchanged a frightened glance. _We forgot to use protection._ Claire swallowed. "We're _almost _always safe." Nathan groaned. "For God's sake, please be careful. If…" Claire and Peter sighed loudly, and replied in unison. "If we get pregnant, we have no idea what it would do to your campaign, yada yada yada." Heidi smiled up at her husband. "I'm sure they're careful, Nathan." He sighed. "When do you two leave?" Peter wrapped his arm around Claire's shoulders. "Tomorrow morning. I want to see the boys before we leave." Nathan nodded. "We'll see you in the morning then." He and Heidi left the room and Peter and Claire headed upstairs to what had been Claire's room when she was staying there. Peter stopped to use the bathroom, and when he entered Claire's room, she was propped up against the pillows, naked. He grinned, slamming the door behind him.


	19. Chapter 19

Peter tipped the bellhop and closed the door behind him.

Claire plopped onto the bed, sighing. "This room is great, Peter."

He nodded, lying down next to her. "How is it possible that we're this tired when all we did was get on and off an airplane?"

Claire shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm most definitely ready for a nap." She kicked off her shoes and curled up against Peter, burying her face in his chest.

He smiled down at the petite blonde, and pressed a kiss to her hair. He too kicked off his shoes, and wrapped his arms around her, both of them drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Claire screeched as Peter dumped a plastic cup of water over her. "PETER PETRELLI! That is _so _not funny!"

He laughed uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, but if you could've seen your face! Come on, Claire. What's the point of coming to the beach if all you're going to do is lay in the sun?"

She lifted her sunglasses to look at him. "If we had sun like this in New York, I would be laying around all day too."

Peter sighed, and then a wicked grin spread over his face. Quick as a flash, he lifted Claire into his arms, and ran to the ocean, dumping her in.

She screamed as she hit the water, and let out a curse. She crossed her arms, looking up at him "Happy now?"

He nodded, grinning. "Yes indeed."

He offered her his hand, and he pulled her to her feet. He chuckled at the angry look on her face. "Come on, Claire. Don't be mad…"

She sighed. "I wish you weren't so freakin' gorgeous. It makes it so much harder for me to stay angry at you."

He grinned down at her. "So I'm forgiven?"

She tapped a finger to her chin. "You will be if you show me how to ride that thing you were riding earlier."

He raised an eyebrow. "The boogie board?"

She nodded, and he laughed. "It's not exactly brain surgery, but if that's what it'll take for you to not be mad at me…" He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose, and went to get the board.

Claire watched him go, a wide smile on her face. "I love you." she whispered.

* * *

Claire opened the door to the hotel room. "Peter?"

She had gone for a run, and Peter said he would be there when she got back…

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a trail of rose petals leading into the bathroom. She kicked off her running shoes, and followed the trail.

She smiled when she saw the bathroom. Peter had lit dozens of scented candles, and a steaming bubble bath was drawn in the tub. A note sat next to the sink.

_**Claire,**_

_**Enjoy the bath as long as you'd like, then meet me in the lobby**_

_**Love,**_

_**Peter**_

She smiled again, and undressed, sliding into the tub.

She soaked for a good half an hour, letting the hot water soothe her sore muscles. As she toweled off and walked back into the main room, she spotted a white box on the bed, a note taped to the lid.

_**Something to make you look even more beautiful….**_

She opened the box, lifting out a gorgeous black dress.

She gasped. _It's so beautiful! I can't believe he did this…_

She dropped her towel to the floor, pulling the dress over her head. It fit perfectly.

* * *

Peter fidgeted nervously, pulling at his tie. _This thing is choking me to death. Oh God, I'm going to have a heart attack. What's taking her so long?_

Just then, the elevator dinged, and a radiant Claire stepped into the lobby.

His mouth went dry.

The dress fit her amazingly well, clinging to her in all the right places, and accentuating her legs as it stopped just above the knee. She had left her hair to hang loosely around her shoulders, and her makeup looked so natural, he couldn't tell if she was wearing any at all.

Her high heels clicked softly on the floor as she walked over to him. "Hi."

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Claire chuckled softly. "You okay there, Peter?"

He nodded. "You look…Wow."

She blushed slightly, slipping her hand into his. "The dress is gorgeous. Thank you so much. And the bath, was just what I needed. I'm so out of shape, my muscles were killing me."

Peter's lips cut her off before she could say anything else.

A passerby whistled loudly, and Claire pulled back, giggling. "I guess you approve of the dress then?"

He nodded, grinning goofily. " Nikki helped me pick it out before we left. Come on, let's get out of here."

They walked through the hotel doors, to a waiting limo.

Claire gasped, and Peter chuckled, opening the door for her. They slid into the cool interior of the car, and Peter tapped on the glass divider to let the driver know they were ready.

They held hands and watched the passing scenery for the entire drive, before they pulled up in front of a beautiful restaurant.

They stepped out of the limo, through the doors, and were seated almost immediately.

Claire looked around the restaurant, an amazed smile on her face. "This is amazing, Peter. Thank you so much. This entire vacation has been so great, I almost hate to leave tomorrow."

Peter smiled warmly, clasping her hands in his across the table. "I know what you mean. Just you and me, the beach, and all the room service we could handle…It was wonderful." He swallowed hard, looking away momentarily.

Claire's eyebrows furrowed. "Peter? What's wrong? You're acting kinda weird...You've been really quiet all day."

He smiled. "So me not speaking constitutes acting weird?"

She nodded, grinning.

Peter sighed heavily. "Okay, I'm just going to do this."

He took a deep breath, stood, and dropped to one knee.

Claire's eyes widened, and she looked around the restaurant. "Peter, what the hell are you doing?! Get up, people are looking!"

Peter clasped her hands again. "Claire Bennet, I love you. You are my entire world. You saved my life, and I don't just mean physically."

She smiled down at him, and he continued.

"You're my best friend, the love of my life. I never want to make love to another woman, and I never want you to make love to another man. I want to grow old with you, if that's possible. I'm not exactly sure how our powers work…But even if we never die, if we live until the end of time, I want to live forever with you."

Claire reached up and swiped away a tear.

Peter reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, and pulled out a small square box.

Claire gasped as he opened it, revealing a gorgeous diamond ring. It was astonishingly beautiful, large without being ostentatious.

"Claire Bennet, will you marry me?"

Claire's hands flew up to cover her mouth, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. "Oh, Peter!"

She threw her arms around his neck. "Yes, yes I'll marry you.", she whispered.

* * *

**_Are you shocked? I tried to do something surprising... One more chapter for the weekend! Go!_**


	20. Chapter 20

Claire fiddled with the hem of her dress as they pulled into Nathan's driveway.

Peter tapped a nervous rhythm on the steering wheel with his fingers as they parked the car.

They exchanged a worried look. "We'll be fine, right? I mean, we're just telling them we're engaged…"

Claire seemed to be asking for reassurance, and Peter tried to give it to her. "I hope so."

He sighed. "Come on, the sooner we get it over with, the sooner we can just enjoy being a happy engaged couple."

Claire nodded, a slight smile gracing her pretty face. They clasped hands as they made their way up to the front door, only parting when Nathan and Heidi and the boys welcomed them in with hugs and kisses.

Angela simply nodded curtly at Claire, giving Peter a stiff hug and kiss on the cheek.

As they sat down in the living room, Claire did her best to hide her left hand from view, not wanting to draw attention to the sparkling diamond ring on her finger.

They made polite conversation about their trip to the Bahamas for a while, and then Claire nudged Peter slightly with her elbow. He shot her a frightened glance, but nodded.

"Uh, Claire and I have something to tell all of you."

Nathan's eyes widened, and Angela gasped loudly. "Oh God, don't tell me she got pregnant."

Claire shot her an annoyed glance. "No, _we're _not pregnant."

Angela sighed. "Well thank God."

Nathan sighed. "Ma…"

Peter clasped Claire's hand, and she could feel him trembling a little, bracing himself for the backlash their announcement would likely invoke. "Nathan, Heidi, Mom…"

He swallowed. "I proposed to Claire in the Bahamas last night. We're engaged."

Heidi's face lit up, and she clapped her hands together. "OH! Congratulations!"

Nathan smiled, walking over to Peter and slapping him on the back. "So you finally did it. About time, you've had that ring for almost a month now."

Heidi held out her arms for a hug, and Claire embraced her warmly. "You'll be my maid of honor, right?"

Heidi's eyes shone. "It would be an honor, Claire. Let me see that ring! Oh, it's beautiful!"

Angela's mouth was still hanging open. "This is preposterous! This is too soon, and she's too young."

Peter turned to his mother wearily. "This is not too soon, and Claire is old enough to make this decision. She said yes, so we _are_ getting married."

Angela's eyes blazed, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Nathan cut her off.

"Ma, they're two adults in love. This is the next step for them, let them take it. They're going to do this with or without your approval."

Angela swallowed, looking over at Claire, the young woman her son had given his heart to. She stood up, walking over to her, and forced herself to hug the girl. It was an awkward, unfeeling embrace, but it was symbolic.

Angela Petrelli had been defeated, and she knew it. "I assume I'll have _some _say in the planning of the wedding."

Claire nodded. "Of course, but Peter and I make all final decisions."

Angela nodded tersely, and then turned to her eldest son. "I'm quite hungry, Nathan. Is the dinner not ready _yet_?"

Nathan smirked at his mother. "I'll go check, Ma."

* * *

Nathan poured two glasses of scotch, handing one to Peter. "Congratulations, Pete. I'm proud of you, really. You picked a good one."

Peter smiled, looking down into his glass. "I know. Hey, we figured you should make the announcement to the press. I mean, Claire and I can be there, but you know I'm not great with public speaking."

Nathan nodded. "Of course. You crazy kids set a date yet?"

Peter shrugged. "We haven't really talked details yet, but Claire said something about always wanting a summer wedding."

Nathan nodded thoughtfully. "That'll give you a good amount of time to plan."

Peter smiled at his older brother. "Well, how does it feel to have the election in the bag?"

Nathan sighed, running a hand over his face. "It's not a sure thing yet, Peter. Don't go calling me Congressman Petrelli until the votes are all in."

Peter chuckled. "You worry too much. You'll win Nathan, I guarantee it."

Nathan smiled at his brother. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Nathan won by a landslide.

Peter and Claire celebrated with him heartily, their new engagement a footnote to be revealed to the public at a later date.

Nathan was pleased to have his entire family by his side at the press conferences, interviews, and photo shoots that followed.

At one particular photo shoot, he watched the tender way Peter spoke to Claire, caressing her face gently and placing a kiss on her mouth. He watched the sparkle in Claire's eye as Peter leaned in and whispered something to her.

Nathan sighed. He and Heidi had never had the kind of relationship. Sure, they loved eachother. But their marriage had fizzled after Heidi's accident. Nathan felt partially responsible, and Heidi felt guilty for being a burden on her husband.

Then, of course, there were Nathan's many affairs. He wondered if Heidi knew about the countless rendezvous with other women over the years. He had tried to convince himself that it was only about the sex, but something deep inside him knew he was longing for companionship.

He turned to look at Heidi again. _If only she knew how much I truly love her._

An idea began to take shape in Nathan's mind, and a wide grin spread over his face.

* * *

Heidi sat out on the patio, sipping her morning coffee. The newspaper was spread out on her lap, and her eyes scanned the political columns as they had so many times since she'd met and married Nathan. She had learned long ago that if she wasn't up on the latest political scandals, she and her husband would have little or nothing to talk about.

As she turned the page, she felt strong arms wrap loosely around her neck, and a warm kiss was pressed to her cheek.

Nathan stepped around to the front of her wheel chair, and crouched down, taking her hands in his. "Good morning, sweetheart."

She smiled, her cheeks coloring a little. It had been a long time since her husband had shown her any kind of real affection. "Good morning, Nathan."

He smiled at her. "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, and he continued. "So I have an idea I wanted to talk over with you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He nodded. "What do you say to us renewing our wedding vows?"

Heidi's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"

Nathan nodded again, kissing one of her hands. "All this excitement over Peter and Claire's engagement got me thinking, and I want to renew our vows. What do you say?"

Heidi's eyes glistened with tears. "I say yes!"

Nathan embraced his wife, rubbing a hand over her back. "I love you, Heidi."

Heidi muffled a sob into his shoulder.

It was the first time he'd said it in a very long time.

* * *

Peter and Claire were the best man and maid of honor at the vow renewal.

As they walked down the aisle arm-in-arm, Peter leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Just imagine, the next time we do this, _we'll _be getting married."

Claire felt butterflies in her stomach, and she grinned up at him.

Peter leaned down, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Just six more months."

Her cheeks were rosy as she nodded. They had decided on an early fall wedding.

Nathan still hadn't made the announcement to the public, and they wanted to keep it private as long as possible.

Peter walked Claire to her place to the left of the priest, and took his place on the right.

Just then, the doors opened, and Nathan emerged, pushing Heidi's wheelchair.

Claire smiled at the look of absolute bliss on Heidi's face. Nathan had done a wonderful thing by wanting to renew his vows with Heidi.

As Nathan and Heidi took their places and the priest began to officiate the ceremony, Claire let herself imagine what her wedding to Peter would be like.

She had changed her mind a million times over whether or not she wanted her family there.

Her Mom and Lyle, sure. But her father…That was a touchy subject.

Peter had encouraged her to try and bury the hatchet by inviting her father, but she had asked him to let her make the final decision, and he had acquiesced.

As the vow renewal came to a close, and Nathan leaned down to kiss his beautiful wife, Claire couldn't help but get a little choked up, and she saw that Peter's eyes were misty too.

The priest smiled broadly. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the newly recommitted Nathan and Heidi Petrelli."

The hundreds in attendance stood and applauded.

Claire wondered how many of the guests actually knew Nathan and Heidi. The first twelve rows at least were filled with reporters and photographers.

As Nathan and Heidi waved, Nathan held up his hands for silence. "Ladies and gentlemen, since this is a wedding of sorts, it seems like a good time to announce another wedding."

Peter walked over to Claire, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Nathan smiled back at them. "My brother Peter and his girlfriend, Claire Bennet, are engaged."

Gasps and applause filled the large Catholic church.

Nathan wrapped his arm around Heidi's shoulders. "They're planning a wedding in the early fall. Congratulations, you two."

Peter kissed her softly as the flashbulbs began to blind them.

* * *

The next morning, Nathan and Heidi's vow renewal took the front page of the society section.

Claire was quite embarrassed to see the announcement of their engagement was accompanied by a rather large article inside.

She groaned. "God, can't we just get married without all this fuss?"

Peter joined her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her. "It's part of my life. Has been for a long time now, I guess I'm used to it. The scrutiny, the gossip…"

Claire sighed heavily, leaning back against him.

He pressed a kiss to her hair. "If you don't want to marry me anymore…"

Claire whirled around, smacking him hard across the face.

He gaped at her. "What the hell was that for?!"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "For insinuating that I would ever not want to marry you."

She leaned in for a kiss, but he held her at arms length, his eyes searching. "You're sure?"

She nodded vehemently, and he pressed a sweet kiss to her mouth.

"Then I guess we'd better get to planning this thing, eh?"

* * *

A man sat in a corner of a crowded café, sipping a cup of coffee.

He scanned the society page, frowning at the article about Nathan and Heidi Petrelli's vow renewal ceremony.

As he continued reading the paper, his eyes fell upon a large article and accompanying picture.

In the photo, a handsome man in a tuxedo was pressing a kiss to the mouth of a beautiful blonde in a strapless yellow dress.

The headline read: "**Petrelli Announces Brother's Engagement at Vow Renewal**".

The man raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

The article said that the couple was planning a wedding for later in the year, and that they were very happy.

The man downed the last of his coffee, grabbed the newspaper, and left, an idea forming in his mind.

* * *

**_Okay, just to let you know, there are eight chapters left. _**

**_And the way I post, it'll probably be finished next weekend. Reviews are love, and I LOVE love... _**


	21. Chapter 21

With just three months until the wedding, Peter and Claire were both getting nervous.

Most of the big things had been taken care of. The church, the reception hall, the catering, the bridesmaids' dresses, the invitations, the rings.

All that was left for Claire to do was pick her wedding dress.

At times like these, her heart ached that her mother couldn't be there.

She had decided not to invite her family. As horrible as she felt about it, she didn't want anything to ruin her wedding, and that included family drama.

Nikki had graciously agreed to help her find a dress, and so the two set out to find the perfect wedding gown.

Claire emerged from the dressing room, dreading turning to face the mirror. "Oh my God, Nikki! I look like bridezilla! Look at all the lace and frills!"

Nikki was laughing uncontrollably, and tried to calm herself down. "Oh, come on Claire. It's not _that _bad…" She burst out laughing again.

Claire crossed her arms over her chest, and had to laugh at her reflection. She did indeed look silly.

Nikki snapped a picture with the digital camera they were using to remember all the different dress choices.

Claire raised an eyebrow. "You honestly think I'm even going to consider this one?"

Nikki shook her head with a smirk. "No, but I thought you might want to freak Angela out. 'Look Mama Petrelli, isn't it beautiful?!' "

Claire gaped at her. "Mama Petrelli? GOD no! She'll always be Angela. And that's a fantastic idea."

Nikki laughed.

Claire sighed. "Well, one more dress to try, and then we can go home."

Claire re-entered the dressing room, and Nikki busied herself by clicking through the dozens of dress photos they had taken. When she heard Claire clear her throat, she looked up, and her mouth fell open. "Oh, Claire…"

The dress was beautiful. It was floor length and strapless. The bodice was embroidered with crystals, leaving the plain white skirt to float gently to the floor. The train was long, but not so long that it would get in the way. A beautiful veil was draped carefully over her head, and her eyes sparkled.

Nikki smiled, her eyes tearing up. "This is the one, isn't it?"

Claire nodded. "This is the one."

* * *

As Claire and Nikki chatted in the cab on the way back to Peter and Claire's loft, Claire became increasingly aware that the cab driver had no idea where he was going. "Excuse me, driver? My loft is six blocks east of here. I can give you directions if you want."

The driver pulled onto a rather dirty-looking, relatively deserted street. He turned around in his seat, pointing a gun at them. "Get out, Sanders. Claire, you stay right where you are."

Nikki's eyes blazed. "No chance in hell. You'd better drop that gun if you know what's good for you, buddy."

The man smirked, and the expression gave Claire chills. "Ms. Sanders, I will kill you if I have to. But honestly, I'd like to return this cab to its owner without any blood stains on the upholstery."

Nikki never wavered. "Drop the gun."

He sighed, leveled the gun at Nikki's stomach, and fired.

The earsplitting noise of a gunshot filled the car, and Claire screamed as Nikki slumped over.

The man got out of the driver's seat, pulled open the back door, yanked Nikki out, and dropped her body in the street. He got back in the cab, and closed the door. "Ms. Bennet, if you don't want the same thing to happen to you, you'd better keep your mouth shut and come willingly."

Claire shook her head. "Are you kidding? You may have just killed my friend! Please, let me make sure she's okay!" Her eyes were filled with tears, and a few spilled down her cheeks.

The man sneered. "I told Nikki to get out. I never wanted to have to hurt her."

Claire lowered her head. "Please, what do you want?"

The man started the car, and drove quickly away. He talked to her over his shoulder. "You're about to marry into a very wealthy, very influential family, Ms. Bennet. Do you remember that night about five months ago? The night someone broke into yours' and Mr. Petrelli's loft? That was me. I had planned on getting you then, but you two slipped away from me somehow."

Claire's eyes widened. "Oh, God…"

He smirked at her in the rearview mirror. "You're about to become Mrs. Peter Petrelli, am I right?"

Claire swiped furiously at the tears trickling down her cheeks. "Yes."

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I want money, and a lot of it."

Claire stealthily reached for the door handle. "Peter isn't that rich."

The man snorted. "He's got enough to never have to work a day in his life. Don't understand why he insists on working for his brother. Plus, Nathan and Heidi are loaded, and Angela Petrelli is one of the wealthiest women in the country. I'm sure they'd _all _pay a good bit of money to get you back."

He turned a corner sharply, and Claire knew this was her chance.

She threw the door open, and jumped out, hitting the pavement with a thud and a cracking of bones. The car screeched to a halt, and the man jumped out.

Claire picked herself up off the ground, and began to run. She made it a few blocks before the much bigger man caught up to her.

Claire let out the loudest scream she could manage, and a man passing by stopped. "Are you okay Miss?"

Her kidnapper leaned down and whispered in her ear. "You say anything, and Peter dies."

Claire's eyes filled with tears, and she managed to speak in a choked whisper. "Yeah, everything's fine."

The man gave her a look of uncertainty. "Are you…"

Her kidnapper swung back, and knocked the man to the ground, unconscious.

Claire gasped. "He wasn't doing anything wrong!"

Her kidnapper shook his head as he jerked her by the arm back towards the cab. "Couldn't risk it. We need to get you someplace where you can't make anyone else suspicious."

His grip on her arm was painful, and Claire was sure that if she could be hurt, there would've been a large bruise there.

He opened the passenger seat, and pulled out some ropes. He tied her arms behind her back, and tied her ankles together before tossing her like a sack of potatoes into the back seat.

He slammed the door, and Claire closed her eyes, tears trickling down again. She bit her lip until it bled, and sniffled. _Peter, if you can hear me, I need your help. I don't know where I am, but someone kidnapped me, and Nikki is hurt. The guy wants money… Please…I love you. _

* * *

Peter was in the middle of helping Nathan write a speech when Claire's voice entered his head. He dropped his pen, and his entire body began to shake.

When her message was finished, he leapt to his feet. "Claire's in trouble. Someone kidnapped her, and Nikki might be hurt."

Nathan's mouth fell open. "What? How do you…"

At that moment, Nathan's phone rang. "Hello? Yes, he's right here."

He held the phone out to Peter. Peter was trembling violently as he took the phone from Nathan. "Hello?"

There was silence for a moment. "Peter, it's Nikki…"

His eyes widened. "Are you okay? Claire sent me a telepathic message. Do you know where she is?"

Nikki was breathing heavily. "I'm fine. I was able to call my husband to come help me. Listen, I dropped my cell phone in the cab, it has a GPS locator in it. I'll give you the GPS number; the police should be able to trace it."

Peter grabbed a pen and paper. "I've got paper. Please, hurry."

* * *

Claire was shaking as the cab pulled up in front of an abandoned building.

Her captor parked, and then walked around to get her out of the car. He untied her ankles, but left her wrists tied behind her back.

She didn't recognize the neighborhood, but then again, she and Peter mostly stayed in the area surrounding his loft.

He ushered her up the stairs, and into the dirty, smelly building. It reeked of garbage and urine, and she thought many a homeless person must've used it as a shelter.

He pushed her roughly down in a corner, and she pulled her knees up to her chest, trembling. "What now? How are you going to contact Peter?"

The man pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. "Bought it this morning. Untraceable, pay-as-you-go, perfect for making one call to your fiancé."

Claire nodded numbly. "You're not going to…hurt me?"

The man's face twisted into a smirk. "Don't worry, sweetheart. You're not my type."

Claire swallowed in relief, and pulled her knees closer to her chest. It was warm in the building. All the windows were boarded up, and the summer heat was creating an unpleasant environment.

He untied her arms, and held the phone out to Claire. "Now listen close, Claire. You're going to call Peter. You're going to tell him that unless four million dollars is in locker 345 at Penn Station tomorrow morning at eight thirty; your pretty face isn't going to be so pretty anymore."

Claire fought the urge to laugh bitterly at the thought of her being hurt.

"If you _dare _tell him anything about where we are, what I look like, _anything_, I'll kill him. Do you understand me? I will _kill _your fiancé."

Claire nodded, taking the phone and dialing Peter's cell phone number. She held the phone to her ear, and prayed that Peter would answer.

After several rings, Peter's familiar voice came over the line. "Hello?"

Her breath caught in her throat. "Peter? It's…it's me."

She heard a gasp and when he spoke again, she could hear tears in his voice. "Claire? Are you okay? I got your message, and Nikki called me. Listen, we're going to find you, I promise. Nikki dropped her phone in the car; the police are tracing the GPS signal right now."

Claire cleared her throat, looking up at her impatient kidnapper. "Peter, he said to tell you that if four million dollars isn't in locker 345 at Penn Station by eight thirty tomorrow morning, he's going to kill me."

Peter's voice was breaking as he answered her. "Claire, is he hurting you?"

She swallowed, and her captor bent down towards her. "End the call, now."

She felt a tear drop onto her cheek. "Peter, I have to go. I love you." She ended the call, and handed the phone back to the burly man standing over her.

He nodded. "Good job. If Peter comes through, you can go back to your perfect life, and no one will get hurt."

Claire nodded. The man walked into another room, leaving Claire to sit alone in the dark room, tears rolling down her cheeks.

* * *

Peter slammed his phone down on the desk, and the cop next to him jumped. "Try to relax, Mr. Petrelli. We're doing everything we can."

Peter turned to the policeman, livid. "Shut up. This is my _fiancée _we're talking about, not some lost dog."

The policeman held up his hands. "I apologize, sir. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of finding Ms. Bennet, I'm simply asking you to try and retain your composure."

Peter sank down into a chair, head in hands. "I know, I'm sorry."

The policeman was paged over the loudspeaker, and hurried off, as Nathan reentered the room.

He hadn't left Peter's side since he'd gotten Nikki's call, except to call Heidi and let her know what was going on.

Nathan rested his hand lightly on his brother's shoulder.

Peter looked up, tears in his eyes. "I promised her, Nathan. I promised I would always protect her, and I let this happen. I knew she could be in danger, I should have gone with her."

Nathan sighed. "Peter, you couldn't have known some maniac would kidnap her. Stop blaming yourself. The cops are doing all they can, try and relax."

Peter stood up, his eyes blazing. "Would everyone stop telling me to fucking relax?! This is the one person I love most in the world, and she's in danger. She was kidnapped by God-knows-who, and taken God-knows-where, so he can do God-knows-what to her. So stop telling me to relax when the woman I love was just kidnapped!"

Nathan's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Pete. I…"

Just then, a policeman burst into the room where they'd been sitting for over an hour now.

"They traced the signal. We know where your fiancée is!"

* * *

**_Okay, so an unexpected turn of events, huh? Not to worry, I haven't left you hanging. Go read the next chapter!!!!_**


	22. Chapter 22

The man paced the floor in front of Claire, his hands clasped behind his back.

Claire studied him carefully, taking in every detail she could. If she ever got home, she would be able to tell the cops what the guy looked like, what he wore, etc.

The man finally sat down on the floor across from Claire, leaning his head back against the filthy wall. His eyes went to the defensive position Claire had taken ever since they had entered the building. Her knees pulled tightly against her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. "You can relax. I'm not going to rape you or anything. I don't like girls."

Claire raised her eyes slowly to his face, and she nodded, letting her legs stretch out in front of her. He sighed. "You should sleep."

She looked away, towards the door. "I just want to be home in bed, with Peter."

The man looked down at the ground. "I'm really sorry I had to do this. Honest. But I need money, and you were the easiest target."

Claire nodded, looking down at her hands. "I guess with all that's printed about us in the papers, we probably are easy targets. But you didn't have to shoot my friend. She could be dead!" She closed her eyes as a teardrop slowly rolled down her cheek.

The man watched, swallowing. He ignored her comment about Niki, however. "You really love the guy, don't you?"

She opened her eyes, nodding. "More than I ever thought I could love anyone."

The man nodded. "What do you love about him?"

She closed her eyes again, her head resting against the dirty wall. "Everything. He's smart, he's handsome, he's funny… I love the way he smiles, the way his bangs are always falling in his face, the way his eyes sparkle when he's around the people he loves."

Her voice trailed off, and he realized that she had fallen asleep.

* * *

Peter tightly gripped the door handle of the police car he was riding in as they sped towards the address the GPS service had given them. He just prayed that Claire's kidnapper hadn't ditched the car somewhere, leading them on a wild goose chase.

The neighborhood they drove into gave Peter chills. Dozens of abandoned houses lined the streets, rats scurried to and fro.

They pulled up in front of one of the houses, where all the other police cars had stopped. A yellow cab was parked out front, and a policeman was already inside of the vehicle, investigating. He emerged a moment later, a gun in his hand.

Peter felt his stomach drop. Even though Claire couldn't be hurt, she had told him that when a tree branch pierced the back of her head in Odessa, she had actually died. If that was the case, and the man had shot Claire in the right spot, she migt be dead.

Dozens of cops lined up outside the building, bullet-proof vests strapped on.

Peter jumped out of the car, and went to a spot where he could see. He wished he could be the one to run in and rescue Claire, but that would involve revealing his abilities to the policemen, which inevitably would affect Nathan's political position. Nathan emerged from another car, coming to stand next to his younger brother.

The policemen kicked the door down, and rushed inside. Peter could hear yelling, and Claire's high-pitched scream.

"Claire!" Peter moved to run in after the cops, but Nathan held him back.

Peter waited, minute after agonizing minute, until the policemen emerged, leading a handcuffed man with them.

Peter rushed forward, his eyes searching the group. Finally, the person he was looking for appeared in the doorway. Her white shirt was covered in dirt, her hair a sight, but there she was.

She ran to him, and he swept her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "Oh, Claire…" He pressed kiss after kiss to her forehead, cheeks, nose, mouth. He smoothed his hand over her hair, as she clung to him, sobbing. He held her tight, thanking God that she was okay. Claire's tears dripped onto his shirt, but he didn't care.

A policeman walked over to them, removing his hat. "I beg your pardon, but we're going to need Ms. Bennet to make a formal statement."

Peter's jaw clenched. "Can't you see how upset she is? Can't this wait?"

The cop shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we need to know what we're charging him with."

Claire lifted her head from Peter's shoulder, wiping furiously at her cheeks. "Put me down, Peter. It's fine, I'm fine."

He gave her a look of uncertainty, but she gave him a weak smile.

He nodded, clasping her hand, as the policeman took out a pen and notebook.

* * *

Nathan insisted they stay at his house that night, stating that it wasn't safe at the loft until Peter at least got an alarm installed.

They ate dinner in relative silence, and then Claire stated that she was tired. She took Peter's hand, leading him up to their room.

Once the door was closed, Peter embraced her. "I'm so sorry, Claire. I promised I would always protect you, and I failed."

She shook her head, smiling slightly. "You didn't fail me. Peter, he didn't hurt me, you didn't have to pay the ransom, everything worked out. Aside from poor Nikki getting shot, everything's fine. Niki's going to be okay, and I'm fine."

Peter brushed his thumb across her cheek, looking deep into her eyes. "I love you. I love you so much. I was so scared…" He pushed their foreheads together, and Claire felt her eyes getting misty.

"I'm fine, Peter. I'm fine." She gave him a gentle kiss, and then took his hand, leading him into the bathroom.

She drew a nice hot bath, and undressed, climbing in. She gazed at him pleadingly, and he nodded. He undressed, and got into the tub with her, pulling her petite frame flush against his.

They sat like that in the warm bath until he heard Claire's breathing slow, and her head drooped onto his shoulder. She had fallen asleep.

He carefully lifted her out of the bath, dried her off, and dressed her in one of his t-shirts. He pulled on a pair of boxers, and carried her to the bed.

They would be fine. She hadn't been hurt, and everything was fine.

He pressed a kiss to her temple, wrapping his arms around her waist.

He drifted off to sleep with her in his arms, weary from the day's events.

* * *

**_So there you have it, two more chapters. REVEIW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! and MAYBE I'll post again later..._**


	23. Chapter 23

**_Just a quick note; the guy who kidnapped Claire wasn't meant to be anyone in particular. Just a random criminal. Apologies if that wasn't explained clearly. Now, on with the story!_**

* * *

A few weeks later, Claire awakened one morning feeling horrible.

Her head throbbed, her stomach felt queasy, and she was dizzy. She wondered if it was even possible to get sick with her abilities, but when she began to vomit violently, Peter insisted on calling a doctor.

When the doctor emerged from the bedroom, reentering the loft's living room, his eyes were dancing, and a wide smile was on his face.

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Good news, Doc?"

The doctor shrugged. "That depends on you, son. Your fiancée is pregnant."

Peter's entire world came crashing down.

"Wh…She's…We're…" He sank down onto the couch, head in hands. "Oh, God."

The doctor patted him on the back. "I must get back to my practice. Congratulations, Mr. Petrelli." He left, closing the door behind him.

Peter walked on shaky legs to the bedroom, knocking softly on the door. "Claire?"

He heard her sniffling. "Come in."

He walked in, and perched on the edge of the bed next to her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, rolling over so she could see him. "Big news, huh?"

He nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Did you have any idea?"

She sighed, wiping at her cheeks. "I was late, but when I got my birth control pills, the doctor told me that could be a side effect, so I wasn't worried."

He nodded, and looked away.

Claire reached out, brushing her hand across his cheek. "Peter? Tell me what you're thinking."

He turned back to her with a wide grin on his face. "I'm thinking that this is really going to piss Nathan off. First the kidnapping story a few weeks ago, and now this…" He smiled down at her. "What are_ you _thinking?"

She averted her eyes. "I don't know if I'm ready to be a mom, Peter. I just turned nineteen last month."

He nodded, running his hand up and down her calf.

She sighed. "But at the same time, I really want to have your baby."

Peter's head shot up. "You do?"

She nodded, a smile playing at her lips. "Yeah, I do."

Their eyes met, and in that moment, they both knew they would be keeping the baby.

Peter bent down, kissing her lovingly. "Do me a favor; let's wait until we see Nathan in person to tell him. I would say 'Wait until after we're married', but you'll probably be showing by then."

Claire nodded. "Okay."

Peter kissed her once more. "We're having a baby." They grinned at eachother.

* * *

"You're WHAT?!"

Claire flinched and scooted closer to Peter. She swore she could _see _the steam coming out of Nathan's ears.

Peter cleared his throat. "Uh, Claire and I are pregnant."

Heidi let out what could only be described as a squeal. "Oh my God! I'm going to be an aunt!"

Claire smiled gratefully at her soon-to-be sister-in-law.

Angela sat with her mouth hanging open, and Claire wished she had a camera to capture the ridiculous look on her face.

Peter squeezed Claire's hand as Nathan pounded his fist into the desk. He sank down into his desk chair, head in hands. "I thought I asked you two to be _careful_."

Peter's jaw clenched as he looked at his older brother. "We _were_, Nathan. Accidents can happen."

Angela sat her teacup down with a clank. "Please tell me you're doing the sensible thing and having an abortion."

Claire's mouth dropped open. "You have some nerve, Angela. No, we're not having an abortion. That's out of the question."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Oh Lord, Peter. Please, listen to reason. You two aren't prepared to be parents."

Peter stood up, yanking Claire with him. "We know that we're young, Mom. We know that it's going to be hard, that we're going to have some rough times ahead. But we love eachother, and we are going to love this baby, and that's all that matters."

Heidi felt tears roll down her cheeks as she smiled up at her brother-in-law.

He was so mature for his young age, and he and Claire were so in love. They would make it, she was sure of it now.

Peter wrapped his arm around Claire's shoulders. "Nathan, you can choose to not tell the press if you want, but Claire's going to be showing by our wedding day. Come on, Claire."

Nathan, Heidi and Angela watched them go.

* * *

Two days later, the front page of the society section was emblazoned with a huge headline.

"**Petrelli and Fiancée Announce Pregnancy**".

It was accompanied by a candid shot of Peter and Claire walking hand-in-hand through the streets of New York. Claire's head was tilted back in laughter, and Peter was smiling at her.

Claire smiled as her eyes scanned the short article.

**Peter Petrelli, brother of Congressman Nathan Petrelli, and his fiancée, Claire Bennet, are expecting their first child. The Congressman's publicist was vague on details of a due-date, but says that Peter and Claire are overjoyed, and Mommy and Baby are very healthy. Petrelli and Bennet's wedding is planned for late next month.**

Claire handed Peter the paper when she had read it, and he nodded, smiling. "So when _will _our little bundle of joy be born?"

Claire tapped her finger to her chin. "In about 7 months or so."

Peter smiled. "I guess we'd better start getting ready for him or her, huh?"

Claire laughed. "We do have _some _time Peter. Though we need to figure out where we can put the baby."

Peter nodded. "We'll have to move."

Claire frowned, and Peter raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She shrugged. "I know it sounds kinda stupid, but I love it here. It was kind of our little love nest."

Peter smiled, chucking her under the chin. "We'll have our memories."

She nodded. "But like, right there on the couch was where I fell asleep in your arms the first night. When you carried me to bed? And the bedroom is where we made love for the first time."

Peter smiled at the memory, and then nodded. "I know, I know. But we can't keep the baby in the closet, it'll need a nursery."

Claire sighed. "I know…"

She reached up, planting a kiss on his mouth. "Well, as long as I have you, and little baby here," she patted her slightly protruding stomach, "I'm happy."

Peter smiled. "Same here."

* * *

They signed the mortgage papers the day before their wedding.

In fact, they drove straight from the real estate agent's office to the rehearsal dinner.

It was a beautiful home, not too far from where Nathan and Heidi lived.

It had enough room for the two of them, the baby, and had two more rooms they could use for guests, or if they ever had more children. It needed some paint, but they had several months to work on it before the baby came.

Peter kissed Claire on the cheek as they entered the rehearsal hall. "You look gorgeous."

She smiled up at him.

She wore a short red dress that fell just above her knee, with matching heels. Her protruding belly made her look even more beautiful, and her hair was swept up into a messy bun. "Just think, this time tomorrow, we'll be married."

Peter nodded, his eyes sparkling. "And then we live happily ever after."

Claire threw her head back and laughed. "Let's hope so. I don't think I can take any more surprises!" They clasped hands as they entered the candlelit dining room.

Claire sighed. She hadn't wanted such a huge rehearsal dinner, but Angela had insisted. There were at least two hundred people in the room, and Claire knew about ten of them.

They stopped to greet Matt Parkman and his wife, Professor Suresh, Isaac, Simone, and Claire finally got to meet the infamous Hiro.

She and Peter took their spots at the head table as applause filled the room. Countless photographers they hadn't invited jumped up to take pictures.

Claire leaned over, whispering in Peter's ear. "Did your mom promise all those magazines full photo spreads or something?"

Peter shrugged. "Probably. Anything to get that Petrelli name out there."

Claire chuckled, kissing him lightly on the mouth. "I love you so much."

His eyes shone as he smiled down at her. "I love you too."

She reached up, tousling his slicked-back hair so that his bangs fell in his face. "Nothing is going to ruin our wedding, not even your Mom."

Nathan and Heidi took their spots at the head table alongside Peter and Claire, and Angela arrived a few moments later.

Peter and Claire exchanged an eye-roll, as Angela made a big show of kissing Claire on the cheek and patting her baby bump.

Claire plastered on a fake smile, and embraced her soon-to-be mother-in-law as the cameras flashed.

The first course was served soon after, and the night went off without a hitch.

* * *

**_Go read the next chapter, you know you wanna!_**


	24. Chapter 24

Peter awakened early on the day of their wedding.

He drank his morning coffee, sliding his hand over the Claire's empty side of the bed.

They had agreed that Claire would spend the night and get dressed at Nathan and Heidi's, so Peter wouldn't see her dress. He smiled, downing the last of his coffee.

The wedding started at twelve-thirty p.m., and it was only six-thirty a.m. He would have plenty of time to prepare, and try to calm his nerves.

He took a shower, shaved, ironed his tuxedo shirt for the tenth time, drank another cup of coffee, and it was still only eight a.m.

The door buzzed, and Nathan let himself in. "How's the nervous groom?"

Peter smiled tightly. "Nervous."

Nathan grinned, patting him on the back. "As I recall, you had to give _me_ a pep talk on the day of _my _wedding when I was considering running away to Mexico. You'll be fine, Pete. You love Claire, you love your unborn kid, and you're going to be fine."

Peter nodded, smiling at his older brother. "Thanks. Is Claire up yet?"

Nathan chuckled, hanging his tuxedo on the back of the door. "She, Heidi and Mom were up at five, trying to decide how the stylist should do Claire's hair and makeup, if she should have painted fingernails, if any adjustments needed to be made to the dress…Trust me, she's as nervous as you are."

Peter smiled, imagining Claire, Heidi, and his mother running around like chickens with their heads cut off to get everything ready. His mother would probably have an aneurism by the reception.

He handed Nathan a cup of coffee, and they sat down to relax.

* * *

"No. I am _not _having my son's wedding ruined by a tardy minister. Well, you tell Father Grey that I'll find another priest, one that's willing to be on time to a wedding ceremony." Angela snapped her cell phone shut loudly, making Claire jump, and the stylist smeared lipstick across her chin.

Claire wiped at the lipstick, sighing. "What's wrong now, Angela?"

Angela was already dialing another number. "The priest had the _nerve _to have his wife call and say he would be late for the ceremony."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "Why was he going to be late?"

Angela punched another number into her cell phone. "I don't know, something about administering last rights to another priest or something. The nerve of that man… Yes, I need a priest for my son's wedding today…"

Angela walked into the other room, and the stylist clucked her tongue, shaking her head. "She's like the mother-in-law from hell, eh?"

Claire sighed, closing her eyes. "You have no idea."

The stylist began applying the lipstick again. "Your fiancé must be a wonderful man if you're marrying into _her _family."

Claire chuckled. "He is. I can't wait until we're married, and until our baby is born."

The woman smiled knowingly. "Babies are wonderful, I have six kids of my own. Do you know what you're having yet?"

Claire laughed. "Not yet. We can't decide if we want to know or not. I think the doctor is getting a little tired of us changing our minds so often. We think we want to wait and be surprised. We'll just have to paint the nursery a neutral color."

The stylist finished with Claire's makeup, and nodded in approval.

Claire smiled warmly at the older woman. "Thank you, it looks great. We should probably wait until after I get my dress on to do my hair, because of the veil."

The stylist nodded. "I'll be downstairs. Call me when you're ready."

* * *

Peter had been at the church for about ten minutes when he was told that Claire had arrived.

He wanted so badly to go to her, see her. But Heidi had been adamant that he not see Claire in her dress before the wedding.

The hundreds of guests were beginning to file in, and he made his way to a back room so as not to be accosted by any of his mother's or Nathan's political friends.

A soft knock on the door dragged him out of a daze, as Heidi wheeled herself in. "You ready, Peter?"

He nodded, smiling. "Am I ever. You look gorgeous, Heidi."

Claire had chosen navy blue bridesmaid dresses, and it looked beautiful on his sister-in-law. Heidi smiled, patting his hand. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself. Listen, don't be worried. You're going to be a great husband and father."

Peter shook his head with a smile. Heidi had always seemed to be able to read his thoughts. "I hope so. I love her so much, Heidi. I want to be able to protect her, provide for her."

Heidi nodded. "You will, Peter. You will." She pressed a kiss to her brother-in-law's forehead. "You'd better get in position, we're about to get started."

Peter's hand shot out, grasping Heidi's arm. "Wait, would you give Claire something for me? I meant to give it to her at the rehearsal last night, but I forgot."

Heidi nodded, and he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, flat box. "This is for Claire."

Heidi nodded, wheeling herself out of the room.

* * *

Claire cried when Heidi gave her Peter's gift.

It was a beautiful diamond necklace, and their wedding date was engraved on the back.

Angela grumbled about Claire being overly emotional, saying she would smear her makeup.

Claire had everything a bride was supposed to have. Something old (her shoes), something new (her necklace), something borrowed (Heidi had given Claire her veil), something blue, (her panties), and a wonderful man waiting for her at the end of the aisle.

She had to swipe away another tear that had made its way down her face. She took a deep breath, and nodded to the attendant in charge of opening the doors.

Nathan walked his mother down to her seat, and Nikki followed behind them. Isaac escorted Heidi, as classical music echoed through the large church. Nathan returned to the doors, this time to walk Claire down the aisle.

The traditional wedding march played, and all the guests got to their feet. Claire was nearly blinded by all the camera flashes as she and Nathan made their way down the aisle towards Peter.

Claire's breath caught in her throat when she saw Peter, as their eyes locked.

Peter felt the tears welling in his eyes as he saw Claire in her dress for the first time.

It was a beautiful, flowing dress, and her head was adorned with Heidi's veil. Her form-fitting dress accentuated her pregnancy-swollen stomach, and Peter smiled.

As she and Nathan reached the end of the aisle, Peter took her hands. Claire felt tears sliding down her cheeks again, as she looked up at the man she loved. They turned to face the priest as the guests took their seats again.

The priest smiled warmly at them. "We are gathered here today in the sight of God, to join this man and this woman in Holy matrimony. Who gives this woman to marry this man?"

Nathan stepped forward. "On behalf of her family, I do." He lifted Claire's veil, kissing her cheek lightly. Claire turned to face Peter once more, as Nathan walked to his position behind Peter.

"Marriage is not a commitment to be entered into lightly. These two people love and trust eachother fully, and have thought and prayed over this decision carefully."

He turned to Peter. "Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish Claire, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, forsaking all others and clinging only to her as long as you both shall live?"

Peter nodded, his voice coming out barely above a whisper. "I do."

The priest nodded, turning to Claire. "And do you, Claire, promise to love, honor, and cherish Peter, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, forsaking all other and clinging only to him as long as you both shall live?"

Claire smiled through her steadily falling tears. "I do."

The priest turned towards the hundreds in attendance. "If anyone knows of any reason why these two should not be joined together, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

There was silence, and so the priest turned to Nathan. "Do you have the rings?" Nathan handed Peter and Claire their rings.

Peter swallowed thickly, and took Claire's hand in his. "Claire, I love you so much. You're the one person who always understands me, the one who can put me in my place when I'm out of line. You love me unconditionally, and I can only hope that I can love you, and our baby, in the same manner, forever. With this ring, I thee wed."

He slid the ring onto her finger, and Claire took a deep breath. "Peter, I can't even tell you how much I love you. There are no words. I can only hope, and pray, that I will be a good wife to you, and a good mother to our baby. Thank you for being my everything, my hero. With this ring, I thee wed."

The priest smiled broadly. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. What God has joined together, let no man separate. You may kiss the bride!"

Peter grinned, leaning in to capture Claire's lips. The kiss was loving, passionate, pure.

When they pulled apart, the priest turned to the guests once more. "It is my pleasure to introduce to you for the first time; Mr. and Mrs. Peter Petrelli!"

The guests got to their feet, applauding loudly as the flashbulbs went off again.

Claire couldn't stop smiling. _Mrs. Peter Petrelli…_

She chuckled, and leaned up to whisper in Peter's ear. "Did you ever imagine when you saved me in Odessa, that we would be married, and expecting a baby less than a year later?"

Peter laughed, and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Never in my wildest dreams."

As they walked up the aisle, hand-in-hand, Peter felt overwhelming happiness swell inside of him.

He had never felt so content in his entire life.

* * *

**_Well, did I do a good job with the wedding? I know it was a bit fluffy... Well, go on! Make me a happy woman! Review!_**


	25. Chapter 25

At the reception, they danced until Claire thought she would pass out.

Their first dance was to "**_You Raise Me Up_**" by Josh Groban, a song that Claire knew Peter despised.

But he took it all in stride, smiling and laughing. He did it for Claire, and she knew it. She would make it up to him on the honeymoon.

The higlight of the reception was when Hiro and Matt had a little too much to drink, and belted out there rendition of Bon Jovi's "**_Livin' On A Prayer_**".

Just when Claire thought her face would break from smiling for so many pictures, Peter tugged her towards the door. "Come on, let's get out of here."

She smiled up at him. "We can't leave all our guests. It would..." She stopped, breaking into an even wider grin. "It would really piss Angela off."

She grabbed Peter's hand, and their laughter echoed through the reception hall as they escaped.

They climbed into the waiting limo, that would take them to the airport and the waiting jet.

They were off to Hawaii for a week, and neither one of them could wait.

* * *

Claire awakened one morning four months later, and knew something was wrong. She looked around their bedroom.

Peter was sound asleep next to her, Otis, their two month old dachshund puppy, was curled up on a pillow on the floor, and the room was completely silent.

_So then why am I awake?_

As she moved to roll onto her side, a sharp pang shot through her stomach, and suddenly there was liquid rolling down her legs.

She sat straight up. "PETER!"

He sat up so fast, he hit his head on the headboard. "Claire? What is it?"

She was trembling. "My water broke."

Peter was off the bed and into his carefully laid-out clothes in a second.

He helped Claire change into her clothes, and helped her with her coat. "Stay here, I'm going to go pull the car around."

Claire listened to him running down the stairs, and leaned back against the pillows, breathing heavily.

She was still shaking. She was so scared!

She and Peter had been to all the parenting classes. They had learned how to breathe, how to make sure their clothes were all laid out, they had planned the quickest route to the hospital, and had all their family members on speed-dial.

She stood up carefully, and walked over to the desk, picking up her cell phone. Peter would need it to call their families. She put the phone in her overnight bag, which they had packed with everything she thought she might need.

Another contraction came, and she gripped the edge of the desk, grimacing in pain.

Peter slammed the front door of the house, and bounded up the stairs to their bedroom. "Car's out front, let's go."

He took Claire's bag, and helped her down the stairs, out the door, and into the car. It was freezing outside, and Claire saw that it had begun to snow.

Peter buckled her seatbelt for her, and closed the door, hopping into the driver's seat, and pulling away from the curb. Claire handed him the cell phone, and he dialed the first number on speed-dial; Nathan.

He picked up after two rings. "Hello?"

Peter narrowly avoided a yellow light. "Nathan, it's me. Claire's in labor."

He heard Nathan yelling for Heidi in the background. "Okay, Pete. We'll be at the hospital as soon as we can. Be careful, and good luck."

Peter continued calling the various people that needed to be called, including Claire's parents.

They were supposed to be in New York for the birth, but Claire wasn't due for another two months.

As Peter hung up with Noah Bennet, he shoved the phone into his pocket. "Your parents will be on the next flight they can get."

Claire nodded, grabbing his arm roughly as another contraction hit. Peter stepped on the accelerator, his heart aching for the pain his wife was enduring.

They pulled into the emergency entrance, and a nurse came rushing out with a wheelchair. "She'll be in the delivery room."

Peter nodded, rushing off to park the car.

* * *

Claire had been in labor for several hours, and they had had time to move her to a private birthing room.

Peter sat beside her, clutching her hand. Nathan was standing in the corner, Heidi at his side. Angela sat off to the side, sipping a cup of cafeteria coffee, and Nikki and D.L. stood in the doorway, little Micah asleep in a chair in the corner.

Claire gritted her teeth and gripped Peter's hand fiercely as another contraction ripped through her. "Why won't this baby come out already?!"

Peter chuckled, smoothing Claire's hair away from her face.

Angela tossed her empty coffee cup into the trash can. "I was in labor for eighteen hours with Peter."

Claire's eyes widened. "Eighteen _hours_?"

Peter shot his mother a look, and patted Claire's arm reassuringly. "I'm sure our baby won't take that long. Just relax, be patient."

Claire's eyes blazed as she turned to look at Peter. "_YOU _don't have a human being trying to push itself out of your private parts!"

Peter threw up his hands. "You're right, I don't. Tell me what I can do."

Claire sighed, leaning back against the pillows. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. Just…just be here, okay?"

He nodded, squeezing her hand.

Heidi wheeled forward. "Claire, would you like some water or some ice chips?"

Claire smiled gratefully at her sister-in-law. "That would be great."

Nathan smiled at Claire, and followed his wife out of the room.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door, and Claire's parents entered the room, Lyle following behind them.

Mrs. Bennet rushed to Claire's side, enveloping her daughter in a warm hug. "Oh, Claire! Are you okay?"

Claire nodded, smiling weakly. "Yeah. This baby has its dad's stubbornness, though. Doesn't seem to want to come out."

Mrs. Bennet pulled back, and turned to face the dark-haired man sitting next to her daughter. "You're Peter?"

He nodded, extending his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

She studied her daughter's husband. He was very handsome. His hair was longer than his brother's, and fell in his eyes as he turned to look at Claire. He was much older than she had expected, but his eyes were kind, and he looked at her daughter more lovingly than she'd ever seen one person look at another.

She patted Claire's hand, and moved aside so Lyle could see his sister.

Peter watched Claire's face light up when she saw her brother, and he smiled. Claire had spoken a great deal about her family, and he knew how much she loved her little brother.

Lyle shook his head, a silly grin on his face. "God, Claire. You're away less than a year, and you're married _and _knocked up?"

Claire punched her brother lightly on the shoulder, and then grimaced again, another contraction ruining their otherwise joyous reunion.

It had taken a lot for Claire to agree to her family being included in the birth of their child. She had told Peter a few weeks after the wedding that she regretted not inviting them to their nuptials, and wanted them to be included in the life of their grandchild, and in Lyle's case, nephew. While there were still some issues to be worked out between Claire and her father, they had taken one major step towards burying the hatchet.

The doctor entered the room, and came to check on Claire's progress.

Her family members moved to the side to give her some privacy, and Claire clutched Peter's hand, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "I'll never get used to people looking at my vagina."

Peter laughed out loud, causing the doctor to look up from his examination, and Peter bit his lip "Sorry."

The doctor stood, and removed his gloves, throwing them in the medical waste bin. "Mrs. Petrelli, I think you're ready to start pushing."

Claire trembled, and she nodded. "I'm ready."

* * *

"Are you ready to push again, Claire? One more time should do it." The doctor motioned for the nurse to prepare.

"NO!" Claire screamed.

Peter squeezed his wife's hand. "Come on, Claire. You can do this!"

Claire looked up at her husband, tears trickling down her cheeks and nodded.

Peter was suddenly struck by how young she still was. Her lower lip was trembling, and she looked very much like a child.

He dropped a kiss onto her mouth. "You can do this." he repeated.

She squeezed his hand hard enough to break a bone, and bit down on her lip until it bled, pushing as hard as she could.

A shrill scream echoed through the room, and the doctor broke into a wide grin. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Petrelli. You have a beautiful baby boy."

Claire collapsed back against the pillows, panting heavily. Peter smoothed her hair away from her face, and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much, I'm so proud of you!"

He walked over to where the nurse was cleaning the baby off, and smiled down at his new son. The nurse wrapped him in a fuzzy blue blanket, and handed him to Peter.

Claire strained to sit up. "Is he okay? All his fingers, all his toes, everything there?"

Peter nodded. "He's perfect."

He carried the precious bundle over to Claire, and she took their son into her arms. Her eyes filled with tears, and she leaned down to kiss his chubby little hands. "Perfect indeed."

Peter kissed his wife softly on the mouth, and then bent down and kissed their son. "I'm going to go tell everyone. I'll be back soon, little man."

He directed the last part to his son, and bounded out of the room to find their family members.

* * *

**_Another chapter for you to read? Why, of course there is! _**


	26. Chapter 26

**_SLIGHT, slight mention of sex in this chapter. Nothing explicit whatsoever, but just a warning._**

* * *

Claire sighed as she lowered the baby back into his crib.

Little Henry Joseph Petrelli was an angel.

Claire had heard horror stories about babies who cried constantly, who screamed and wailed for hours on end, and Henry was the complete opposite. He only cried when he was hungry, or when he had soiled his diaper, and the rest of the time he simply stared up at her with his father's huge, dark eyes.

Peter walked up behind Claire, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her flush against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her temple, and nestled his chin into the crook of her neck. "He's so perfect."

Claire nodded, relaxing against her husband. "He looks exactly like you."

Peter chuckled. "But he has his mother's nose."

Claire laughed, nodding. "That he does."

She turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck. She reached her hands up to play with his bangs. "Here's hoping he has his daddy's hair."

Peter smiled down at her, his eyes shining. "How did I get so unbelievably lucky?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, how did you?"

He shook his head, leaning down and capturing her lips with his.

They walked across the hall to their bedroom, hand in hand.

* * *

Two years later, Peter sat in a huge armchair, bouncing his son on his knee.

Henry giggled and shrieked as he was bounced up and down. "Faster, Daddy! Faster!"

Claire paused in the doorway to watch her husband and son, resting her hand on her hip. "Honey, do you really think it's wise to be bouncing him around like that when he just ate breakfast twenty minutes ago?"

Peter looked up sheepishly, his familiar lopsided smile firmly in place. "Sorry, Mom."

He hoisted the little boy down to the floor, and patted his rear-end. "Why don't you go find your shoes. You and Mommy and I are going to see Uncle Nathan and Aunt Heidi and your cousins."

Henry squealed, darting down the hallway to his room in search of his shoes.

Claire walked over to her husband, plopping down on his knee.

Peter grinned up at her. "Well, well. A precious second alone." He leaned in and kissed her roughly, reminding her of life before parenthood.

There brief moment was interrupted by little Henry's reappearance, shoes in hand. "I found them, Daddy!"

Peter sighed, pushing his forehead against Claire's. "Good job, buddy."

Claire stood up, winking at Peter. "I'm going to go change, and then we can leave."

Peter nodded, the taste of Claire's lip gloss lingering in his mouth.

Right then, he made a decision.

They needed some time alone.

"Come here, Henry. Your shoes are on the wrong feet."

* * *

Claire threw her head back and laughed as Henry wrestled with Simon and Monty a few feet away from their picnic site.

Claire wouldn't have taken Nathan for much of a picnic person, but the congressman seemed very much relaxed.

Peter was sitting on the edge of the lake with his older brother, talking to him in hushed tones.

Heidi began to gather their garbage, and Claire hurried to help her. "What do you think our husbands are talking about?"

Heidi glanced over her shoulder. "Hmm, good question. Probably something to do with politics knowing my Nathan."

Claire chuckled, nodding. "Probably."

Heidi smiled as she observed Henry playing with his older cousins. "Henry is adorable."

Claire nodded, pausing to reprimand her son. "Henry, not so rough!"

She turned back to her sister-in-law. "We love him to death. But Peter and I haven't had a moment alone since he was born. We haven't…" She bowed her head, a blush staining her cheeks.

She lowered her voice a few notches. "We haven't made love in over three months. That's a record for Peter and I."

Heidi smiled softly. "You need some time away."

Claire nodded, sighing.

Peter and Nathan stood, making their way over to their wives. Peter knelt down next to Claire, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "Guess what?"

Claire tilted her head. "Um…you're pregnant."

Peter shook his head. "You're a funny one, aren't you?"

Claire nodded. "Yes, dear."

Peter kissed her mouth lightly. "Nathan and Heidi have agreed to take the munchkin for the weekend so you and I can get some much-needed alone time."

Claire's face lit up. "Oh, thank you!"

Nathan smiled. "Anything for you two."

Claire snuggled into her husband's chest, smiling broadly.

* * *

Peter rolled off of Claire, panting heavily. "God, Claire. You are so incredible."

Claire giggled softly. "Not so bad yourself, big boy."

He chuckled, smoothing her damp hair away from her face.

Claire looked over at the clock. "Do you think it's too late to call Nathan and Heidi?"

Peter groaned. "Claire, you checked on him three hours ago. I'm sure he's fine."

Claire smiled, burying her face in his chest. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that we've never been away from him. I miss him."

Peter smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Me too."

It was quiet for a few minutes, and then Peter cleared his throat. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to check in on him just one more time before he goes to sleep…"

Claire squealed, sitting up and reaching across him to grab the phone. She dialed the number, listening as it rang several times.

Finally, Nathan's voice came over the phone. "H…Hello?"

Claire's eyebrows furrowed. "Nathan? It's Claire. Are you okay?"

Nathan's voice came out choked and hurried. "Claire, you and Peter need to get back here. Now."

Claire's eyes widened in fear. "Why? Nathan, what's wrong?"

Peter sat up, the look on his wife's face frightening him.

Claire only heard one word before she passed out. "Sylar."

* * *

**_Are you shocked? You'd better be... Leave me some lovely reviews, and I shall post the end of the story tomorrow._**


	27. Chapter 27

Peter clutched Claire's hand tightly in his as they pulled up in front of Nathan's house. Or, what used to be Nathan's house.

All that was left was the smoldering ruins of the formally grand mansion. Claire let out a gasp, and Peter barely slammed on the brakes before they were both out of the car.

Nathan stood off to the side, his head bowed.

Claire rushed to him, Peter close behind her. "Nathan! What happened? Where's Henry? Where are Heidi and the kids?"

Nathan lifted his head, and Claire gasped at the long gash across his forehead. It was obvious that Sylar had begun to cut his head open, but had been interrupted.

"Nathan…" Peter's voice was strained. "Where's Henry?"

Nathan began to sob. "He…He took him."

Claire dropped to her knees, and Peter's fists clenched, his jaw tightening. "What about Heidi and Simon and Monty?"

Nathan shook his head. "They were out when he showed up. I called Heidi and told her not to come home."

Claire was sobbing uncontrollably. "My baby…"

Peter walked over, crouching down and pulling her to him. "I'll get him back, Claire. I'll get our son back."

She raised her head, and looked at Peter.

The fear in his eyes was only masked by his anger, and Claire nodded solemnly. "I'm coming with you."

Peter pulled her to her feet, and turned to Nathan. "Any idea where he took him?"

Nathan nodded. "He said something about taking him back to where it all started."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "Where it all…"

He whirled to face Claire, and she nodded. "Odessa."

* * *

Peter landed right in front of Union Wells High School, setting Claire on her feet.

It was a sticky summer night, and the school was dark.

Claire gripped Peter's hand tightly. "Peter, I'm scared. I'm scared of what he might've done to Henry."

Peter brushed his lips over her forehead. "I'm sure he's fine. Come on."

He led her through the deserted halls, past the gym, and outside to the amphitheater.

Sure enough, Sylar sat on the bleachers, Henry on his lap. "Finally. It took you two long enough to get here."

Peter stepped in front of Claire. "Give us our son back, Sylar."

Sylar cackled. "Oh, that's a good one, Peter. Yes, I'm just going to go through all the trouble of kidnapping your little brat here, and then just hand him back. No, I don't think that's how this is going to work."

Peter took a step towards him, but Sylar lifted Henry into his arms, pointing a finger at his forehead. "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you, Pete. You never know what I might do!"

Peter's jaw tightened. "How did you survive? You were dead…"

Sylar smirked. "A little trick I picked up from an eighteen year old in Oklahoma. He could create exact living, breathing replicas of himself. You killed a replica."

His gaze flickered to Claire. "Ah, Claire. So lovely. You know, I always wanted to know what you taste like… What do you say, your life for little Henry's here?"

Peter let out a guttural growl. "You're not getting either of them. Take me, just leave them out of this."

Claire grabbed Peter's arm. "NO!"

Sylar tilted his head. "Hmm…"

He looked down at Henry, and then back up at Peter. "Deal."

Claire let out a wail. "Peter, NO!"

He turned back to her. "Claire, it's either me or Henry. Listen to me, take care of him. Take care of our son."

Claire began to sob. "Please, don't! Peter…"

He brought her mouth to his in a crushing kiss, his arms firmly wrapped around her.

Claire crumpled to the ground when he released her, and turned to face Sylar once more. "Hand over my son, and I'm all yours."

Sylar smirked, and then shrugged. "Oh, what the hell."

He dragged his finger over Henry's forehead, and the little boy let out a heart-piercing scream. Blood covered Sylar's trench coat, as he tossed the little boy's body to the ground.

Claire's face was frozen, her entire body shaking as silent tears rolled continuously down her cheeks.

Peter let out an animalistic yell, and launched himself at the villain. He punched him over and over, using every power in his arsenal to burn, pulverize, and kill Sylar.

When he stopped after ten minutes of continuous brutality, the man below him was no longer breathing. His body was scorched and beaten beyond recognition, and his blood had oozed out onto the cement.

Peter was shaking as he stood, and turned towards the body of his dead son.

He bent down, lifting Henry into his arms with such tenderness, it made Claire's already broken heart shatter into pieces.

She made her way over to her husband, smoothing the little boy's dark hair back from his face.

She kissed his blood-spattered cheek, her tears mixing with the blood of a little boy who would never reach his third birthday.

* * *

**_Okay, so a very dark chapter. I had a lot of trouble writing this one, so I hope it wasn't TOO disturbing for anyone. Go ahead, go read the final chapter!_**


	28. Chapter 28

They had been forced to tell Heidi everything. About their abilities, and about Sylar.

The frail woman had accepted it without comment, simply rolled her chair over to where Claire was seated, and enveloped her hysterical sister-in-law in a hug.

Aside from the fury Peter had unleashed on Sylar, he had been stone-faced and silent since Henry was killed. He had pulled away from Claire, from Nathan and Heidi.

He had locked himself in his study, and would only come out when he had to use the bathroom. On one of these trips, Nathan had snuck in and spotted dozens of empty bottles of alcohol scattered across the desk and floor. He had left Peter to his drinking, unable to imagine the pain he was enduring.

Claire had become extraordinarily thin and pale, and had begun to vomit on a regular basis.

Finally, Heidi had insisted on Claire being examined by the family doctor. When he emerged, his diagnosis was two-fold.

Claire was becoming pale and thin because of her grief. She was refusing to eat anything of real substance, and would only drink water.

She was vomiting, because she was pregnant.

When Claire heard the news, she broke down.

She sobbed into her pillow for hours, ignoring Heidi's imploring her to tell Peter. "I'm just not ready. It's not time. We just lost our little Henry, it's too soon."

Nathan had tried to get her to let _him _tell Peter, but she had refused. "No. This will only hurt him."

Heidi took Claire's hand in hers. "Claire, he deserves to know. And he needs to know that Henry's death wasn't his fault. He needs to know that you don't blame him."

Claire lifted her head, nodding slowly.

* * *

Peter was too sober for his taste. 

He had exhausted the alcohol stash he kept in his office, but wouldn't leave to get more.

A soft tapping on the door shook him out of a daze. "Not hungry." he mumbled.

Again, there was tapping on the door. "Just, leave me alone."

There was silence, and then he heard a key turning in the lock. He looked up to see who dared disturb him, and swallowed thickly when he saw Claire.

She looked tired, pale, and thin.

She closed the door behind her, and clicked the lock into place again. She took a few steps toward him, and then stopped. "Peter…"

Her voice wavered, and she stopped, taking a deep breath. "Peter, Henry's death wasn't your fault."

He scoffed. "Yes it was. It was my idea to get away, to leave him with Nathan and Heidi."

Claire shook her head. "But I didn't object. Peter, we needed time alone together. How were we to know that Sylar was still alive, or that he would come after our son?"

Peter looked down at the floor. "I shouldn't have trusted Sylar to make a fair deal. I should've used Hiro's power to stop time, and gotten you and Henry out of there."

Claire crossed to where he was sitting, and knelt down in front of him. "Peter…" She reached up to cup his face, but he pulled away.

The look of hurt in her eyes almost killed him. "Peter, you had a split-second decision to make. You had no idea that Sylar would kill him."

Peter looked down at her. Pain was etched across her face, and the puffiness around her eyes told him that she had done a lot of crying. "I'm so sorry, Claire…"

She shook her head. "I don't blame you, Peter. Stop blaming yourself."

And as if that was all he needed to hear, Peter reached down, and pulled Claire to him in a bone-crushing embrace.

He lifted her onto his lap, and cradled her head against his chest.

They sat there for over an hour, just holding eachother, and then Claire took a deep breath, lifting her head up off of his chest. "There's something I have to tell you."

Peter's forehead wrinkled in concern.

"I'm pregnant."

Peter swallowed, pressed a kiss to her mouth, and then pulled her to him once more.

Together, they wept silently.

* * *

Eight months later, Claire gave birth to a healthy baby girl they named Isabella Marie Petrelli. 

She, like her brother before her, looked like her father. She had his dark head of hair, and his deep, soulful eyes.

Two years later, little Matthew Nathan Petrelli was born. He was the spitting image of his mother, with blonde hair and green eyes.

However, he was born with dead nerve endings in his mouth, and to Claire's delight, had Peter's lopsided smile.

Peter and Claire thanked God every day for their two beautiful children, and that Henry's death had helped them to grow even closer together.

As they watched their children run and play with their Dachshund, Otis, Peter bent down and kissed his wife lovingly. "Thank you."

She raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

He smiled, brushing a thumb across her cheek. "For putting up with me. For giving me three amazing children, even if we only had Henry for a short time. For loving me unconditionally."

Claire wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling one hand in his dark hair. "Ditto."

Their lips met, and Peter wrapped his arms around the woman he loved.

They were interrupted by a loud "Ewwww!" from Isabella, and Matthew giggled.

Peter leaned down, and picked up their son, as Claire lifted Isabella into her arms.

They shifted the children to one arm, and clasped eachother's hand with the other.

As the sun set, the Petrelli family walked into their home, hand in hand.

**_END_**

**_

* * *

THE END!_**

Well, what did you think? I'd love to hear what you guys thought of the ending, and the story as a whole.

As I said at the beginning, this was my first ever fanfiction, so feedback is much appreciated.

I'm working on a NON-AU Peter/Claire story, occurring post-HTSAEM.

As soon as I can, I'll be posting that on here too.

Thank you for reading and reviewing! It was awesome to have such great readers. -Stella


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